Berlin, 6 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The Malian government has expelled the head of the United Nation peacekeeping mission's human rights division in the country.

Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali must leave the West African country within 48 hours and was declared persona non grata, the government said in a statement dated Sunday.

Andali was accused of "destabilizing and subversive acts" after he selected "impostors" as Mali's civil society representatives for UN Security Council meetings, the statement, issued by government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, said.

Andali headed the human rights division of the UN's MINUSMA mission, a peacekeeping force established to boost security in the country.

"We regret the Malian government's decision, but MINUSMA will continue to exercise its mandate, including with regard to human rights," a senior UN official in New York told dpa.

Mali, with its population of around 20 million, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered extremely unstable.

Since the most recent coup, in May 2021, the country has been led by a military transitional government that is said to maintain close relations with Russia.