The Diplomat
Defense Minister Margarita Robles met yesterday with the head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and special representative of the UN Secretary General for Mali, El Ghassim Wane.
“We are all concerned about peace in the world and I wanted to convey that, although Spain is symbolically represented in MINUSMA, we understand that the work of the United Nations is essential,” said Robles at the exit of the meeting, on the second day of her trip to Mali. “I wanted to support the work being done by the UN and, at the same time, to explain Spain’s position, which is not to forget the Southern Flank, because we understand that collaboration between Europe and Africa is essential,” she continued. “In this effort, Spain will count on, admire and respect the efforts of the United Nations,” she added.
The day before, Robles met with her Malian counterpart, Sadio Camara, to assess the future of the EU mission (EUTM Mali), in which Spain provides the bulk of the personnel with 334 soldiers, and to reaffirm the Spanish position of collaboration between Europe and Africa. Precisely, the minister also visited on Thursday in Bamako the Spanish contingent of the European mission, to which Spain has been committed since 2013.
MINUSMA, which was established by the Security Council in 2013, aims to support the political process and help stabilize Mali, focusing, among other things, on the protection of civilians and the promotion of human rights. The Security Council decided in June 2022 to renew the mission’s mandate until June 30, 2023, and it currently comprises more than 11,700 military and 1,744 police personnel. Spain participates in the mission with one liaison and four police representatives at headquarters. The main military contributors to the mission are Chad, Bangladesh, Egypt, with more than 1,000 troops, followed by Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Germany.
Previously, Robles visited in Bamako the orphanage Association pour le Soutien des Handicapés et Enfants Démunis (ASHED) with which the Spanish troops collaborate and which takes care of 102 abandoned children, from newborns to 15 years old. The purpose of the visit was to deliver an important donation of basic products needed by these children, who are usually left at the doors of the center or are called to pick them up.
