UN Mandate Misalignment: Crisis and Context of MINUSMA in Mali

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), established in 2013, represents one of the most complex and challenging peacekeeping operations in UN history. Despite its ambitious mandate to stabilise Mali, support peace agreements, protect civilians, and promote human rights, the mission concluded in 2023 without achieving many of its core objectives. In this article, I examine the critical misalignment between MINUSMA's mandate and the local context in Mali, focusing on the perspectives of Ghanaian peacekeepers who served on the frontlines. Drawing on organisational–environmental theory and Michael Lipsky's concept of street-level bureaucracy, the study reveals how flawed mandate assumptions, state-centric solutions and local engagement, and restrictions on proactive engagement contributed to the mission's operational challenges. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Ghanaian peacekeepers, the findings highlight a disconnect between policy design and on-the-ground realities, emphasising the need for contextually grounded, flexible, and inclusive mandates in future peacekeeping operations.