Mali suspends rotations of UN peacekeeping mission

BAMAKO, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The Malian government has decided to suspend all rotations of military and police contingents of MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, the Malian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"For reasons related to the national security context, the government of Mali has decided to suspend, as of today, all rotations of the military and police contingent of MINUSMA, including those already scheduled or announced," said the ministry in a letter to the UN mission in Mali.

Mali is planning a coordination meeting with MINUSMA to identify a "permanent optimal plan" to facilitate "coordination and regulation" of the rotations of contingents operating within the UN mission. The date for this meeting has yet to be set.

The Malian government said that it will work "diligently" to create conditions conducive to the lifting of this suspension of rotation, which is an essential step in enabling the deployed contingents to ensure the proper implementation of MINUSMA's mandate.