UN Peacekeepers speed up Mali withdrawal as separatists accuse army of attack

The United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Mali on Sunday said it had sped up a planned withdrawal from the town of Ber in northern Mali due to worsening security, as fighting in the area raised fears of a revival of a separatist uprising.
Over the past few days, the Tuareg-led northern rebel alliance, called the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), has accused Malian forces and Russian Wagner troops of violating a ceasefire by attacking its forces stationed near Ber.
The Malian army has not responded to the allegations, but on Saturday said six of its soldiers stationed in Ber were killed repelling an attempted incursion by unspecified “armed terrorist groups.”
The U.N. mission known as MINUSMA said in a statement it had “expedited its withdrawal from Ber due to the deteriorating security.”
“It urges all concerned parties to refrain from any actions that could further complicate the operation,” it said, without naming those involved.