Mali: The UN mission officially ends this Monday after 10 years of presence

After ten years of work, the UN mission in Mali (Minusma) officially closed this Monday after being forced out by the ruling junta, while the country is in the grip of jihadism and a deep crisis.

Minusma lowered the United Nations flag at its headquarters near the airport in the capital Bamako, its spokesman Fatoumata Kaba told AFP. The ceremony this Monday morning symbolically marks the end of the mission, even if some elements of it are still in place, she said.

180 members killed during the mission

The closure marks the end of a commitment begun in 2013 in the face of spreading violence that threatened the stability of the poor and fragile state. They have since spread to the center of the country and Sahelian neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, causing thousands of civilian and combatant deaths and displacing millions of people.

With more than 180 people killed in hostilities mostly carried out by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, Minusma is the worst-hit UN peacekeeping mission in recent years. It numbered about 15,000 soldiers and police from many countries.

Despite the loss of life and significant financial liabilities, Minusma has come under fire from some Malians who condemned its failure to stop the crisis.