Mali demands immediate withdrawal of UN peacekeeping mission.

Mali's foreign minister has called for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in the country "without delay," citing its failure to respond to security challenges and exacerbating community tensions. The government is willing to cooperate with the UN on this issue but rejects all options for changing the mandate of the mission proposed by the UN secretary-general. The UN chief had recommended an intermediate solution to "reconfigure" the mission to concentrate on a limited number of priorities.