UN votes to end its peacekeeping mission in Mali as demanded by the country’s military junta

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to immediately end its peacekeeping operation in Mali, a country grappling with an Islamic insurgency for over a decade. The council was responding to a demand from Mali’s military junta, which is supported by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group. The resolution adopted on Friday terminates the mandate of the peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA right away.  It orders the mission to start the withdrawal Saturday of more than 15,000 personnel, to be completed by the end of the year. Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. The military junta’s hiring of Wagner mercenaries has strained its relationship with the international community.