The UN’s mission in Mali, forced to pull out of the country last year, will be completely gone by mid-November, the government has said.

The UN stabilisation mission (MINUSMA) had been in place since 2013 but ended on December 31 after Mali’s military leaders ordered it to leave amid deteriorating relations.

It had previously maintained around 15,000 soldiers and police in the fragile and poor West African nation, which is in the grip of jihadist violence and other crises.

Under a so-called liquidation phase since January, the last equipment has been handed over to the authorities or evacuated, and final contracts wrapped up.

“This phase ends on November 15, 2024 with the handover of the Bamako camp and the repatriation of all civilian international personnel, contingents and equipment, thus establishing the definitive withdrawal of MINUSMA,” the council of ministers said in a statement late Wednesday.

Mali has accused the UN mission of “fuelling community tensions”. It also broke off relations with former colonial ruler France and since then has turned to Russia for political and military assistance.

More than 180 MINUSMA members were killed in attacks, mostly blamed on armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group.