Mali's Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, has urgently requested the United Nations to withdraw its peacekeeping force, Minusma, from the country.

Diop criticized Minusma, stating that it has contributed to escalating intercommunal tensions and exacerbating the existing problems.

His concerns were expressed during his address to the UN Security Council.

Minusma, which comprises over 13,000 troops, has been deployed for a decade but has been unsuccessful in curbing the proliferation of jihadist violence in Mali.

Currently, the military rulers in Mali are receiving support from Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Western officials have accused Wagner of human rights abuses in Ukraine and parts of Africa, and last month the US announced sanctions on Ivan Maslov, whom it described as Wagner's top official in Mali.

Wagner has not commented on the Western allegations and its activities in Mali and other parts of Africa remain shrouded in secrecy.

Minister Diop's criticism of Minusma followed earlier Malian objections to France's long-standing involvement in Mali. The alliance with France, the former colonial power, collapsed last year.

Mr Diop spoke of a "crisis of confidence between the Malian authorities and Minusma" and said "the Malian government asks for the withdrawal without delay of Minusma".

Minusma's mandate is due to end on 29 June, but UN chief Antonio Guterres has recommended that the mission be reconfigured to focus on a few limited priorities.

The UN currently lists military contingents from Chad, Bangladesh and Egypt as the biggest in the force.

When asked about Mr Diop's remarks on Friday the UN special envoy to Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said "we stand to be guided by whatever decision the [Security] Council may take".

But he added that without the host country's consent "operating in a specific country would be extremely challenging, if not impossible".

A report by the UN high commissioner for human rights accused the Malian armed forces and "foreign security personnel" of having killed more than 500 people during an operation in the village of Moura, in central Mali, in March last year. The governments of Mali and Russia both condemned that report.