The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has sent a report to the Security Council dated October 3 on the situation in Mali.
The international community is closely monitoring Mali, which is ruled by a junta and faces a jihadist threat. Four months after the publication of the previous report, the recent report reviewed and analysed developments in Mali during this period.
In the 21-page document, UN Secretary-General António Guterres argued that “Mali still faces daunting challenges, but the past few months have seen some progress.”
Going forward, he said, it is essential to build on this progress, with the ultimate goal of putting the country on an irreversible path towards the lasting peace, security and stability its people have long sought.
Noting that the agreement between Mali and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the transition timetable and related monitoring mechanism had “paved the way for the lifting of financial and economic sanctions,” Guterres congratulated “regional leaders for their unwavering commitment.”
The former Portuguese Prime Minister (1995-2002), referring to the process of returning to constitutional order, welcomed the adoption and promulgation of the Electoral Law, the entry into operation of the single independent electoral management body and the formulation of a new Constitution. All this, he said, was evidence of a new momentum that should be supported in view of the tasks ahead.
Convinced that one of the key elements “for the success of the electoral processes and reforms is the extent of the consensus surrounding them,” Guterres said he was encouraged “by the fact that the (Malian) authorities have relaunched the consultative framework with political parties and civil society actors, as well as by the inclusive approach that underpinned the adoption of the Electoral Law.”
Alongside the armed struggle, Mali is also exploring the path of dialogue. To this end, Ban Ki-Moon’s successor pointed out, the August high-level decision meeting on certain aspects of the Peace Agreement has rekindled hopes for decisive progress in this critical disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration endeavour.
Given that the Peace Agreement remains the best framework for overcoming the recurrent conflicts in northern Mali, as well as being an essential component of the reform programme devised by the National Consultation for the Refoundation of the Country, Guterres called for the government and the signatory movements to “accelerate the work of the Ad Hoc Commission tasked with making recommendations on the integration of the senior leaders of the movements, including the chain of command.”
MINUSMA will continue to support the peace process
According to the UN Secretary General, the United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), whose mandate was extended for one year on 30 June, “will continue to support the peace process, particularly in the framework of international mediation.”
He went on to praise the results of the recently held session of the Agreement Monitoring Committee. “The full functioning of this Committee and its subsidiary structures is essential to ensure close monitoring of the peace process, with the Committee providing a forum for the parties to express their concerns in order to reach consensual solutions,” the UN scribe said.
In theatre, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005-2015), said he remained deeply concerned about the evolving security situation in the context of the reconfiguration of international counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel: “Continued terrorist activity in central Mali and in the tri-border area between Mali, Burkina and Niger, particularly in the Menaka and Gao regions, including increased competition between terrorist groups, has resulted in considerable civilian casualties, population displacement and disruption of the livelihoods of already vulnerable communities.”
In this context, Mali has intensified efforts to combat insecurity, but “lasting peace can only be achieved if security operations are accompanied by equally determined efforts to establish the presence of the state, including a judiciary that is seen to be fair and effective, to ensure the delivery of basic services, to promote intra- and inter-community reconciliation and to protect human rights,” explained the former European Council President.
He therefore welcomed the steps taken by the Malian government to redeploy civil administration staff and to adopt its stabilisation strategy and action plan for the central regions.
Guterres pledged that MINUSMA and the UN Country Team would work closely with the authorities to support these measures and that the Mission would continue to support the work of the Malian Defence and Security Forces in full compliance with the human rights due diligence policy.
I urge the Malian authorities to redouble their efforts.
The United Nations attaches particular importance to the respect of human rights in all circumstances. In this regard, its Secretary General has recalled that military operations, including those conducted with bilateral partners, must be conducted in compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and perpetrators of violations and abuses must be held accountable for their actions.
Overall, in the eyes of the international community, although the quarterly report recently published by the MINUSMA showed a decrease in the number of violations and abuses recorded, the general situation remains very worrying.
On this basis, Mr. Guterres urged “the Malian authorities to redouble their efforts to honour their commitment to respect their international obligations,” noting that “MINUSMA will continue to support the government and pursue its constructive dialogue with it.”
The conflict is seriously deteriorating the humanitarian situation in Mali and other Sahel countries affected by the jihadist threat. In the face of the emergency, the former president of the Socialist International said, an international mobilisation, much greater than the one that exists until now, is needed.
“As the humanitarian response plan is only 27 percent funded, I call on the international community to mobilise to meet the needs identified. More generally, international support is required for the implementation of the various processes underway in Mali. However central they may be, Mali’s initiatives cannot succeed without support commensurate with the tasks at hand,” he added.
Progress in Mali, Guterres warned, will contribute significantly to stabilising the Sahel region. But any failure to stabilise the country would have repercussions far beyond its borders. For this reason, he said, “I encourage all efforts to strengthen trust and cooperation between Mali and its neighbours and international partners” and “reiterate my call for the release of the 46 Ivorian soldiers still detained in Mali.”
In addition, the UN Secretary-General said that the effectiveness of MINUSMA is closely linked to the level of facilitation it receives from the authorities in terms of freedom of movement and other related activities, in accordance with the status-of-forces agreement.
In recent months, “the constraints on MINUSMA’s operations have had a serious impact on its ability to fulfil its mandate, in particular the protection of civilians,” lamented the Portuguese, who called on “the Malian authorities to fully support the Mission in all its activities aimed at helping them bring peace and stability to the country.”
In Guterres’ view, there is an urgent need to equip MINUSMA with the resources it needs, given its difficult operational environment, in particular the asymmetric threat it faces. Therefore, in view of the evolving security situation, it is important to consider appropriate measures, including an increase in force in the short term, as already agreed with the Malian authorities, pending the outcome of the internal review of the Mission.
ID/lb/abj/APA