Burkina Faso/MINUSMA: The Last Burkinabe Military Contingent Coming to the Country
The last 126 Burkina Faso gendarmes deployed in Gao, northern Mali, reportedly left Malian soil on 25 and 27 September 2023, according to information from MINUSMA, made public on Friday 29 September 2023.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso soldiers have been fighting alongside their brothers-in-arms in Mali, as part of the UN’s multidimensional integrated stabilization mission in Mali (MINUSMA). They ensured the safety of civilian populations, conducting patrols in Gao and the neighbouring town of Ansongo as well as in the vicinity of IDP sites.
This last contingent deployed since November 2022 carried out according to information, on average 100 activities per month in the region of Gao and in the circle of Ansongo. These include security patrols along the 100-kilometre national highway between Gao and Ansongo.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2690 of 30 June 2023 terminated the mandate of the Peace Mission and requested its withdrawal from Mali by 31 December 2023. But Burkina Faso will continue to cooperate with Mali, within the framework of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), for a better fight against terrorism in the area of the three borders.
As a reminder, for having carried out their mission well, these men and women of the Burkinabe Gendarmerie were honored on September 5, 2023 with the United Nations medal, symbol of their efforts in the service of peace in Mali.
