Burkina Faso/Support for Mali: The Burkinabe government calls on the UN to withdraw its troops from MINUSMA.

In a statement released on Sunday, Burkina Faso supports Mali’s decision and calls on the UN to withdraw its troops from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and respect Mali’s choice of immediate withdrawal. It is worth noting that Burkina Faso and Mali are jointly working to strengthen security in the Sahel region.

Read the statement from the Burkinabe government:

« The Government of Burkina Faso takes note of the request for “immediate withdrawal” of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and commends this courageous decision made by the Malian transitional authorities before the Security Council, meeting for its 9,350th session on June 16, 2023, in New York.

The Burkinabe government congratulates Mali for this deliberate choice, which is in line with the strategic vision of the Malian state in the fight against terrorism and for the restoration of peace and security in the Sahel. It encourages the government and the brotherly people of Mali in asserting the sovereignty of the Malian state and expressing the will of Malians to be the sole masters of their destiny.

The Government of Burkina Faso calls on the international community to strictly respect the choices made by Mali. Burkina Faso, for its part, requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations to take the necessary measures for the withdrawal of Burkinabe troops engaged in MINUSMA in Mali.

It reaffirms its solidarity with the Malian government and all the peoples of the Sahel in the fight against terrorism and remains committed to the ideal of building a world of peace, security, and shared development for all Sahelian men and women, with complete independence and responsibility».

The Minister and spokesperson of the Burkinabe government, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel OUÉDRAOGO, Ouagadougou, June 18, 2023.