The withdrawal of soldiers already started on Saturday and is to be completed by 31 December.
When asked, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said it regretted these developments and decisions. Officials expressed fears that the security situation in Mali might “drastically deteriorate” as a result.
At the moment, Luxembourg is still represented in the West African nation by two military personnel, who are assigned to satellite communication security under the Minusma mission. The Ministry will now cooperate with other relevant partners in Mali to organise a coordinated withdrawal of the soldiers.
Despite the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg having approved an extension of the mission until March 2024 two years ago, the Foreign Ministry now clarifies that no Luxembourg military personnel will be deployed in Mali beyond the specified deadline due to the mission’s termination as per the recent UN resolution.
Originally aimed at securing northern Mali from radical Islamists as part of the French army’s planned withdrawal, the Minusma mission ultimately evolved into one of the United Nations’ longest and deadliest peacekeeping missions.
