Activities of Secretary-General in Mali, 29-31 May

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Bamako, Mali, on Tuesday, 29 May, to spend United Nations Peacekeepers’ Day with troops and personnel from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Upon arrival in Mali, he was greeted at the airport by the President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.  He then participated in a ceremony to pay tribute to fallen colleagues, saying he was honoured to be spending Peacekeepers’ Day with the brave men and women serving in MINUSMA, the operation with the highest casualties in the previous year.  (See Press Release SG/SM/19057.)

On Wednesday, 30 May, the Secretary-General travelled to Mopti in central Mali, where he visited the Group of Five for the Sahel camp and met with religious and community leaders.  He also paid a visit to the Imam at the Great Mosque of Mopti.

Back in Bamako, the Secretary-General met with opposition representatives before breaking the fast with the parties to the peace agreement.

In a press conference to wrap up his visit, he said that peace in Mali was in the interest not only of the Malian people, but of the region and the world in general.  He, therefore, called for an intensified assistance and support to the country at the global level.

The Secretary-General returned to New York on Thursday, 31 May.