On June 30, the UN Security Council terminated the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma), following a request by the Malian authorities. Resolution 2690, which was adopted unanimously, established specific timelines for the drawdown, withdrawal, and liquidation of the mission.
While the abruptness of the request took many member states by surprise, it followed a period of growing tension between the mission and the Malian authorities. Several Minusma officials had been expelled and the mission had been subjected to debilitating movement restrictions.
For a decade, Minusma operated in a difficult political and security environment. Since 2013, 309 peacekeepers, most of them Africans, have lost their lives carrying out the Security Council’s mandate in Mali. Key among the challenges the mission encountered in recent years was the geopolitical environment, which affected the mission’s relationship with Mali’s transitional authorities and the dynamics of the council in support of the mission.
While the UN and its member states have reiterated their commitment to the “primacy of politics” to guide the design
