The United Nations Security Council approves the deployment of 12,600 UN peacekeeping troops to Mali from July 1.
The United Nations Security Council has approved the deployment of 12,600 UN peacekeeping troops to Mali from July 1, reports say.
The 15-member council voted on Tuesday on an April mandate for UN force, known as MINUSMA, to be deployed to the West African country.
“There was unanimous agreement by Security Council members that we should move to the next phase of Mali’s recovery with the deployment of MINUSMA from July 1,” British UN ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said.
France launched a war in the resource-rich Mali in January 11, 2013 under the pretext of halting the advance of rebel fighters in the country.
The UN force will replace 6,000 members of the African-led mission in Mali. The deployment is also aimed at providing security for the countryâ„¢s presidential election scheduled to be held on July 28.
The French-led war on Mali has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the northern areas of the country and displaced thousands of people, who now live in deplorable conditions.
French UN ambassador said there are 3,000 French troops in the African country and Paris would reduce the number of its troops to 1,200 by the end of 2013.
On February 1, Amnesty said Å“serious human rights breaches” — including the killing of children — were occurring in the French war in Mali.
Some political analysts believe Maliâ„¢s abandoned natural resources, including gold and uranium reserves, could be one of the reasons behind the French war.
SAB/PR
This article originally appeared on: Press TV