SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 23 January 2025, Thursday |

Sweden announces early pullout of troops from U.N. Mali mission

Sweden’s military announced on Thursday that it will withdraw its troop of roughly 220 soldiers from the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Mali in June 2023, a year earlier than planned.

Sweden did not specify a specific explanation, but has previously stated that the presence of its military was made unsustainable due to the involvement of Russian contractors, which was criticized by European countries.

“Conditions in the nation have altered recently, but we will continue to undertake operations as usual until our last soldier returns,” the Swedish Armed Forces stated in a statement.

Spokespeople for the mission, known as MINUSMA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It had about 12,000 troops on the ground in late 2021, according to its website.

There’s has been a broader departure of European forces from Mali led by former colonial ruler France, which said last month it was withdrawing its anti-militant taskforce after nearly a decade fighting Islamist insurgents.

Mali is ruled by a military junta which staged successive coups in 2020 and 2021 and has reneged on a promise to hold early elections, fraying its alliances with Western nations.

Despite the presence of the French and U.N. troops, violence by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State has worsened in Mali in recent years and spread to neighboring countries including Burkina Faso and Niger.

About 800 private contractors belonging to Russia’s Wagner Group are currently deployed in Mali, the Swedish military’s statement said, higher than the 300-400 that a French official estimated in January.

President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia has no ties to Wagner, but more than a dozen people with links to the group have previously told Reuters it has carried out clandestine combat missions on the Kremlin’s behalf in Ukraine, Libya and Syria.

    Source:
  • Reuters