US to Mali: End restrictions on UN peacekeepers, seek peace
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States is warning Mali’s military government that it would be “irresponsible” for the United Nations to continue deploying its more than 15,000 peacekeepers unless it ends restrictions including on operating reconnaissance drones. The U.S. also is calling for the western African nation to carry out political commitments toward peace and elections in March 2024. The warning came Wednesday as the U.N. Security Council considers three options proposed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the Mali peacekeeping mission’s future: Increase its size, reduce its footprint, or withdraw troops and police and turn it into a political mission.