The danger of the bloodshed in Mali escalating has alarmed the United States, which has pointed to assaults on UN forces as evidence.
Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department, expressed strong disapproval of the attacks, deeming them “unacceptable.” He went on to condemn both the violence itself and the broader menace posed by armed groups operating in the region.
On a separate note, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as Minusma, announced on Monday that it had been compelled to evacuate the northern town of Ber ahead of schedule due to worsening security conditions. The mission reported that its withdrawing troops encountered two instances of attacks, leading to injuries among some of the soldiers.
The US State Department emphasized that these attacks underscore the escalating threat of violence and the pivotal significance of all parties in Mali finding peaceful resolutions to their differences.
“It is critical that Minusma be permitted to conduct its withdrawal in a safe and orderly manner, and we call on the transition government to cooperate fully until the final Minusma element departs,” it adds.
“Though the Christian leadership and the wider Ghanaian community are not utterly surprised by the statement, we find such statement to be unfortunate and intended to subtly intimidate our lawmakers and business community into kowtowing to the cultural desires and the value preferences of a small but financially influential minority group in the US in particular and the western countries in general.”