The Malian interim government on Sunday said the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission's human rights division had 48 hours to leave the country as he had been declared persona non grata.
A UN vehicle patrols the streets before the polls open for the presidential election in Bamako, Mali July, 29 2018. — REUTERS
In a statement, it said the decision to expel Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali was connected to his allegedly biased choice of civil society witnesses for UN Security Council briefings on Mali, the most recent of which was held on Jan. 27. The Malian authorities have come under pressure for alleged human rights violations and abuses reportedly perpetrated by Malian armed forces in partnership with the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group in Mali.