On Sunday, June 18th, the transitional government of Burkina Faso welcomed the decision of the Malian neighbor after they requested the “withdrawal without delay” of the UN mission in Mali. The transitional government also invited the international community to “strictly respect the choices made by Mali” and announced this in a press release.
In the press release signed by its spokesperson, the Burkinabè government first congratulated Mali for this assumed choice. He “encourages the government and the brotherly people of Mali in this affirmation of the sovereignty of the Malian state”, he continues.
This decision, according to Burkinabè government spokesperson Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, “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”.
Another sign of support provided in this same press release, Ouagadougou asks the Secretary General of the United Nations to “please make the necessary arrangements for the withdrawal of Burkinabe troops engaged in Mali within the framework of Minusma for ten years”.
Burkina Faso is one of the main contributing countries in terms of personnel within the framework of this stabilization mission in the country, according to official figures, currently, around a thousand soldiers, police, and gendarmes are deployed there.