Security Council Press Statement on Mali
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay):
The members of the Security Council heard a briefing on 11 January 2016 by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations, Hervé Ladsous, on the situation in Mali.
The members of the Security Council stressed that the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups bear the primary responsibility for achieving lasting peace in Mali. The members of the Security Council welcomed in this regard the first positive steps taken to implement the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali and urged the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to continue to engage constructively with sustained political will and in good faith to fully and effectively implement the Agreement without further delay.
The members of the Security Council urged the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to prioritize the implementation of key provisions of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali in order to bring concrete peace dividends to the populations of Mali. They urged them, in this regard, to take without delay the necessary measures to advance the deployment of joint security patrols in the north of Mali and the cantonment, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of armed combatants, as well as the decentralization process, consistent with the provisions of the Agreement.
The members of the Security Council expressed their appreciation to Mongi Hamdi for his service as Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Mali and head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), his tireless efforts in supporting the Malian peace process and his personal initiatives to defuse intercommunal tensions.
The members of the Security Council expressed their full support to the newly appointed SRSG for Mali and head of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, and reiterated their full support for MINUSMA and the French forces that support it.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their strong support for the SRSG for Mali and MINUSMA to support the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups in the implementation of the Agreement. They requested the SRSG for Mali, through his good offices mandate, to play a key role to support and oversee the implementation of the Agreement, notably by heading the Secretariat of the Comité de suivi de l’Accord (CSA).
The members of the Security Council urged the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to cooperate fully and to coordinate with the SRSG for Mali and MINUSMA, in particular on the implementation of the Agreement. They encouraged the Government of Mali and MINUSMA to further strengthen their cooperation. They called on the members of the CSA and other relevant international partners to coordinate their efforts with the SRSG for Mali and MINUSMA.
The members of the Security Council expressed their concern about the security situation, including the expansion of terrorist and criminal activities into central and southern Mali. They noted that the full implementation of the Agreement and the intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can help to contribute to improving the security situation across Mali.
The members of the Security Council called on the Secretary-General and all MINUSMA troop- and police-contributing countries, as well as bilateral donors, to continue their efforts to ensure that MINUSMA contingents have the necessary equipment and training to fulfill their mandate. They stressed the importance of ensuring adequate protection of MINUSMA personnel, in the light of the evolution of security threats MINUSMA faces, to effectively implement its mandate.
The members of the Security Council called for the effective fulfilment of the commitments made during the international conference for the economic recovery and development of Mali, held on 22 October 2015 in Paris.