Wagner's push to end PKOs at the request of Mali's interim government...Concerns over deteriorating security situation.

On June 30, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to withdraw by the end of this year the UN peacekeeping force that has been deployed in Mali, West Africa, since 2013. Mali's transitional government has been strengthening its ties with Russia's private military company, Wagner, and there are concerns about a deterioration in security.

In Mali, the transitional government, which came to power in a military coup in 2008, is believed to have strengthened ties with Russia after the expulsion of troops stationed in the former sovereign nation of France, and Wagner is believed to have made inroads. The interim government said it could maintain security on its own and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the PKO.

At the Security Council meeting, Japan, the U.S., and Europe voiced concern about "harm to civilians by Wagner" as the 10-year-long PKO comes to an end. In response, Mali's ambassador to the UN stressed that "as a responsible government, we are fully committed to the protection of civilians."

Meanwhile, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic and Public Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), told reporters on the same day that Wagner, who has been in Mali since 2009, had pushed the interim government not to allow the PKO deployment to continue. He stressed that "ending the operation will only exacerbate the economic hardship and contribute to instability in the country and the region," and noted that there are reports that the interim administration has paid Wagner over $200 million (about ¥29 billion). He also expressed strong caution, saying that Wagner "shows no signs of weakening its intention to exploit African countries.