Mali’s transition leader Col Assimi Goita says the future of the UN mission in Mali (Minusma) will depend on a change of strategy and improved relations with the country’s army.
Col Goita tweeted that he had held discussions with the UN head of peacekeeping operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who has been on a two-day tour of Mali ahead of the renewal of Minusma’s mandate.
The state-linked L’Essor quoted Mr Lacroix as saying that this was about ensuring there was an agreement between Mali and the UN “so that when the time comes, the recommendations at the level of the UN Security Council are in line with the objectives of the Malian authorities”.
UN peacekeepers have been in the country since 2013, but relations with Bamako have recently deteriorated.
Several countries, including Germany and Cote D’Ivoire, have announced plans to withdraw from the mission or scale down their presence.
