Den vil helt overvejende komme til at bestå af afrikanere, altimens franskmændene siger de vil neddrosle deres ekspeditionskorps til 1/4 ved udgangen af 2013 – stadig islamist-styrker i dele af det enorme vestafrikanske Sahel-land.
DAKAR, 1 July 2013 (IRIN): UN peacekeepers Monday took over the role of African troops in helping to stabilize and protect northern Mali, with a plan to build up to 12.640 troops – most of them African – by the end of the year.
Though Islamist groups took a severe battering by French troops, which have secured most of the north since January, they continue to attempt suicide attacks, many of them centred around the city of Gao.
The region of Kidal, meanwhile, remains under the control of the Tuareg group the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA).
Malians hope the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) will be robust (vigtig) in keeping the peace, given the gradual withdrawal of French troops – from 4.500 at its height to a projected 1.000 by the end of the year.
Challenges facing MINUSMA troops include the vast area to be secured, searing (voldsomme) temperatures and a lack of knowledge among some of desert operations.
The aim was to firmly establish a MINUSMA presence before presidential elections, which are scheduled for the end of July.
However, the independent election commission recently cast doubt on the date, citing the difficulty of getting voting cards to 8 million voters in time.
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http://www.irinnews.org/report/98335/un-peacekeepers-take-over-in-mali
Begynd fra: “The humanitarian situation in northern Mali remains precarious. While….”
