The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali ends after 10 years, following the junta’s pressure to go

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The United Nations has ended its 10-year peacekeeping mission in Mali following the government’s request that alleged the force was inadequate to respond to growing violent extremism in the West African nation. The U.N. effort in Mali has been the deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world, with more than 300 personnel killed. Landlocked Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. A French military force left the country last year under pressure from the junta. There are growing concerns that U.N. peacekeeping operations are increasingly becoming unwelcome in parts of Africa, where a majority of the missions operate.