US and Mali call for responsible exit of UN peacekeepers amid fears of anarchy.
The United States has called for an "orderly and responsible" drawdown of the United Nations peacekeeping force from Mali after the country's interim military authorities asked them to leave. Mali's foreign minister cited a "crisis of confidence" between Malian authorities and the decade-long UN mission known as MINUSMA. The United States regrets the decision and is concerned about the effects it will have on the security and humanitarian crises impacting the Malian people. Mali has struggled to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root following an uprising in 2012.
