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8288th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Mali
Presidential elections on 29 July must lay the foundation for consolidating democracy in Mali, with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) continuing to play an active role in the unfolding peace process, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council this afternoon.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefing on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the situation in Mali (document S/2018/541), said the past 12 months had been the most encouraging in terms of advancing the peace process set out in the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. However, the security context remained volatile and some key steps for reinforcing political dialogue had not been achieved. Participation of civil society, particularly women, remained insufficient, while pre-election tensions — including recent violent clashes during an opposition demonstration in Bamako — were disturbing.
To help lay the foundation for consolidating democracy in Mali, MINUSMA had been playing — and would continue to play — an active role, supporting the Malian authorities and political actors while contributing logistical and technical support and ensuring security, he said. The United Nations, he emphasized, was not in a position to certify the elections as requested by opposition parties, as that was not part of the Mission’s mandate and would require Security Council action.
Turning to MINUSMA and the recently concluded independent strategic review of the Mission, he said the Secretary-General — who visited Mali last month — was recommending a shift in its focus, prioritization and implementation of its mandated tasks to maximize its role in support of the Agreement and in amplifying the peace process. That included a more tailored approach to the protection of civilians, particularly in the centre of Mali. He added that MINUSMA would intensify its reporting and monitoring efforts, while cooperating closely with other security actors, including the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) joint force, the Barkhane force and the European Union Training Mission in Mali.
In the ensuing debate, members of the 15-nation Council expressed concern about the security situation and urged all sides in the West African nation to intensify work on implementing the Agreement. They also called for prompt investigation of alleged human rights violations by Malian security forces. With MINUSMA’s current mandate set to expire on 30 June, speakers favoured giving it a bigger role in facilitating the peace process and improving its ability to protect its own peacekeepers, of whom 101 have died in hostile action since the Mission deployed in 2013.
The representative of Côte d’Ivoire, describing the 29 July elections as an important step in resolving the crisis, called on MINUSMA to ensure a secure and safe voting environment by providing support to the Malian armed forces. The protection of civilians required the deployment of United Nations police units, he added, noting with regret that the humanitarian emergency plan for 2018 had only been partially financed. Addressing the terrorist threat in Mali was a matter of regional security and would require a coordinated, comprehensive approach.
France’s delegate said that, three years after the Agreement was signed, a significant number of commitments undertaken had not yet been implemented, largely due to a lack of political will. All Malian stakeholders must be aware that the Security Council was monitoring the implementation of their commitments and to that end, France was paying particular attention to those that were creating obstacles. Keeping MINUSMA in its current configuration would not be possible without substantial progress on the peace process, he warned.
The representative of the United States said all parties in Mali had wasted far too much time over the past three years. MINUSMA should focus more on the political process and that, if no progress was seen, the Council should consider how long it could sustain the Mission. She added that it was time to streamline MINUSMA’s mandate to increase support for political engagement, but that would require tough choices. She also expressed concern about growing instability in central Mali, saying failure to contain that crisis could lead to the reversal of small gains made so far.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali, speaking at the end of the meeting, said the presidential elections must be held in conditions of transparency to ensure the legitimacy of Mali’s institutions. To that end, the Government was requesting from MINUSMA both logistical and security support. Noting that his Government preferred to strengthen the current provisions of MINUSMA’s mandate, he said that, if implemented now, the proposed reconfiguration of the Mission risked creating a security vacuum and jeopardizing progress made in the peace process. The most credible option was to ensure the application of pertinent provisions of Agreement so that the reconfigured forces would be carried out with the international community monitoring the Agreement.
He went on to reaffirm Mali’s commitment to respect human rights, pledging that the Government would complete investigations on “each and every” case of abuses referenced in the Secretary-General’s report. Already, disciplinary measures had been taken on Malian security units deployed in the affected regions, with the results of investigations to be published as soon as possible. Mali observed a zero‑tolerance policy towards such violations, he stressed.
Also speaking were the representatives of the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Peru, Bolivia, Kuwait, Poland, Sweden, China, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.
The meeting began at 3:17 p.m. and ended at 5:14 p.m.
