Security Council Press Statement on Mali
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President François Delattre (France):
The members of the Security Council heard a briefing on 5 October 2017 by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Mahamat Saleh Annadif, on the situation in Mali.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the signing on 20 September 2017 by the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups, with the support of the Government of Mali, the international mediation team and the Special Representative, of a series of commitments including an immediate, comprehensive and definitive cessation of hostilities, following the repeated violations of the ceasefire since the beginning of June 2017. They called upon the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to strictly adhere to this commitment.
The members of the Security Council underscored the pressing need to deliver tangible and visible peace dividends to the population in the North and other parts of Mali in order to keep the momentum of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali (“the Agreement”) and prevent the gains achieved to be potentially reversed. They expressed their deep concern over the persistent delays in the full implementation of key provisions of the Agreement and urged the Government of Mali and the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to adopt without delay an agreed-upon chronogram for the full implementation of the Agreement, and to take urgent and concrete action to fully and expeditiously deliver on their remaining obligations under the Agreement, in particular through the operationalization of the interim administrations in the north of Mali, the establishment of the Operational Coordination Mechanism in Kidal and Timbuktu, progress in the cantonment and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, including through the definition of adequate eligibility criteria and the submission of finalized lists of candidates, progress in security sector reform, progress in the decentralization process, ensuring women’s participation, as well as the swift expedition of the appointment of the Independent Observer. They urged all parties to comply with their obligations under applicable international law and to bring an end to all human rights violations and abuses. They encouraged the Government of Mali to continue its efforts to combat impunity, with the support of MINUSMA.
The members of the Security Council underlined that engaging in hostilities in violation of the Agreement, as well as actions taken that obstruct, or that obstruct by prolonged delay, or that threaten the implementation of the Agreement now constitute a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to resolution 2374, which was adopted on 5 September 2017, among other designation criteria. They called upon all actors to ensure full cooperation with the Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017).
The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support to the Special Representative, the international mediation team led by Algeria, MINUSMA and the French forces that support it. They emphasized the central role the Special Representative should continue to play to support and oversee the implementation of the Agreement by the Government of Mali, the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups. They called on all members of the Comité de suivi de l’Accord and other relevant international partners to sustain their support to the implementation of the Agreement.
The members of the Security Council expressed their concern about the security situation in Mali and the transnational dimension of the threat posed by terrorism and transnational organized crime (including arms and drug trafficking, the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons) in the Sahel region. They recognized the determination and ownership of the Governments of the Group of Five for the Sahel States (G5 Sahel) to address the impact of terrorism and transnational organized crime, including through the conduct of cross-border joint military counter-terrorist operations. They underlined that the efforts of the Force Conjointe of the G5 Sahel to counter the activities of terrorist groups and other organized criminal groups will contribute to create a more secure environment in the Sahel region, with a view to supporting MINUSMA fulfil its mandate to stabilize Mali. They underlined that lasting peace and security in the Sahel region will not be achieved without a full, effective and inclusive implementation of the Agreement, and stressed that the parties shared the primary responsibility to make steadfast progress in its implementation.
The members of the Security Council expressed their intention to dedicate a specific focus of their upcoming visit to the Sahel region, among others, to the implementation of the Agreement.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, the independence and the territorial integrity of Mali.