Mali’s military junta expels the person in charge of DD. H H. of the UN mission

First modification: 02/05/2023 – 23:46

The military junta that governs Mali expelled this Sunday the head of the Human Rights division of the UN mission in the African nation (MINUSMA), Gillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali.

A statement from the Malian Foreign Ministry told the official of the international organization to transmit to the Security Council of the United Nations the version of “usurpers” who pose as members of civil society, leaving out other versions such as the government.

The Foreign Ministry described what happened as a “destabilizing and subversive action.”

And it is that human rights experts, France and the UN itself point the finger at the local Army for perpetrating, together with the mercenaries of the Russian Wagner group, abuses against civilians. The accusations for the alleged violations of rights were rejected by the military junta. It stressed the obligation of local authorities to respect the guarantees recognized nationally and internationally.

The junta has governed since 2021, after seizing power through a coup. With the arrival of the military, Bamako has increasingly limited the actions of MINUSMA.

Russian Foreign Minister will visit Mali

In this context, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, will be received on Monday by the ruling military. The objective of the meeting will be given as part of a strategy that seeks other “strategic partners” by Africans. The issue of military cooperation will also be addressed.

According to Mali, “this high-level visit, the first of its kind by a Russian Foreign Minister” to that African territory, “is in line with the political choice made by the Transitional Government to expand and diversify strategic partnerships ”.

Another of the aspects that will be addressed during the visit will be relations in areas such as security, culture, economic and commercial cooperation.

With Reuters and EFE