NAIROBI, June 27 (Reuters) - A decade-long United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is set to end on Jun 30, diplomats said on Tuesday (Jun 27), ahead of a Security Council vote on a draft resolution - seen by Reuters - that will give the 13,000-strong operation six months to withdraw.
The planned end of the MINUSMA mission follows years of tensions between the UN and Mali's military junta that came to a head this month when Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop asked the force to leave "without delay".
It would mean an abrupt halt to an operation that has been hobbled by government restrictions since Mali teamed up with Russia's Wagner mercenary group in 2021. The UN mission is credited with playing a vital role in protecting civilians against an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands.
Some experts fear the security situation could worsen when the mission departs, leaving Mali's under-equipped army alone with about 1,000 Wagner fighters to combat militants who control swaths of territory in the desert north and centre.
Wagner's operations have also been under question, after the group staged an aborted mutiny at home in Russia on Saturday. Its boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has said the group has been given permission to operate out of Belarus.
Under the draft text, MINUSMA would have until Dec 31 to undertake an "orderly and safe" withdrawal, which the Security Council would review by Oct 30. The council could then, if needed, "consider a revised timeline in discussion with Mali".
Its operations would be pared down to providing security to UN personnel, facilities and convoys. MINUSMA would provide medical evacuations to UN staff.
But the draft text would also authorise MINUSMA, until the end of the year and - when and where possible - in consultation with Malian authorities, "to respond to imminent threats of violence to civilians and contribute to the safe civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance in its immediate vicinity".
The French-drafted resolution is still being discussed by the 15 council members, but diplomats said no major changes are expected before a planned vote to adopt it on Thursday. To pass, the resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France.
