The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali said Friday it has formally completed the handover of its Temporary Operating Base in the village of Ogossagou in central Mali to the Malian authorities.
"The last Senegalese troops stationed at the MINUSMA Temporary Operating Base (TOB) in Ogossagou, Bandiagara region, central Mali, left today, following the formal handover of the base to the Malian authorities the day before," the mission said in a statement on the website.
The mission added that a convoy of nearly 150 Senegalese peacekeepers has already left the base and safely arrived in the Malian town of Mopti, from where they will be repatriated in the coming weeks following the handover of the base.
"The closure of the Ogossagou TOB is part of the first phase of the Mission's withdrawal plan. Two other peripheral camps - Ber and Goundam in the Tombouctou region - and Menaka in northeastern Mali will be closed by the end of August 2023. At the same time, MINUSMA has already downsized its forces in Mali, with 675 military personnel having permanently left the country since first of July," the mission said.
On June 30, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to end the MINUSMA - the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali - and to fully withdraw by the end of 2023.
The decision came after the Malian government asked the United Nations to urgently withdraw its mission from the country. The government said MINUSMA's ten-year presence in Mali failed to adequately respond to the security situation there and contributed to escalating tensions.