In a written statement from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) endorsed the resolution accepting the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by the end of the year from Mali by the end of the year, “Norway and other diplomatic missions It was emphasized that this will have consequences for the security of international organizations.
In the statement, it was stated that the Norwegian government decided to close the Bamako Embassy, which represents the country in Mali as well as Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad, until the end of the year for security reasons.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt stated that the region urgently needs stability, conflict resolution and development and that Norway has to find other ways to advance its interests in Mali.
MINUSMA withdrawal process has escalated tensions in the country
The tension between the Azavad Movements Coordination (CMA) in northern Mali, which disarmed in 2015 with the Algiers Agreement, and the Malian army started when MINUSMA left the control of the bases from which it was withdrawn to the army.
MINUSMA, which will withdraw all its elements from the country until the end of the year at the request of the Mali government, handed over the military camp in Ber, located about 50 kilometers from the city of Timbuktu in the north, to the Malian army on 15 August.
The town of Ber is located in the region under the control of the CMA, according to the map determined by the 2015 Algeria Agreement. Therefore, the CMA strongly opposed MINUSMA’s surrender of the camp in Ber to the Malian army, arguing that this violated the Algiers Agreement.
The CMA stated that the entry of the Malian army into Ber would be a declaration of war against them.