Egypt to suspend role in UN force in Mali

Due to worries over the safety of its personnel, Egypt has announced that it will temporarily halt its participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali starting on Monday.

The action comes after attacks since January that claimed the lives of seven Egyptian soldiers assigned to the UN mission in Mali (Minusma).

The choice was made at the same time as supporters of the military-led government in Mali are still calling for Minusma to be expelled for allegedly failing to defend people from attacks.

The Egyptian delegation to Minusma will be temporarily withdrawn, according to Egypt's UN mission in Nairobi, but the duration of the suspension was not specified.

Around 1,000 Egyptian soldiers are stationed in Minusma, primarily to support logistics.