Security Council Presidential Statement Urges Government, Armed Groups in Mali to Fully Implement Peace Accord, Adopt Revised Road Map of Priorities

Noting some advances since the inauguration in September 2018 of re-elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Security Council today urged the Government of Mali and the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to continue expediting implementation of their peace accord while urging all parties to refrain from actions undermining progress.

In a presidential statement (document S/PRST/2019/2) presented by Christoph Heusgen (Germany), its President for April, the 15-member Council, while recognizing the increased steps, strongly regretted that, despite repeated calls in past months, several provisions of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali signed in December 2015 and referenced in Council resolution 2423 (2018) have not yet been fully implemented or started.  They included the adoption of legislation establishing a regional territorial police force; the allocation of the necessary human, technical and financial resources for the interim administrations in the north of Mali to perform their mission; and the completed integration of at least 1,000 members of the signatory arms groups into the Malian Defence and Security Forces, among others.

The Council called upon all Malian stakeholders to support the necessary decisions, noting that “protracted delays in implementation contribute to a political and security vacuum jeopardizing the stability and development of Mali”.

Furthermore, the Council encouraged the parties to adopt a revised road map, with a clear, realistic and binding timelines focused on a limited number of priorities, including the swift completion of constitutional reform following an inclusive and collaborative process, adoption of a comprehensive plan for effectively redeploying a reformed Defence and Security Force to northern Mali, and the establishment of a Northern Development Zone.

Strongly condemning the continued attacks against civilians, representatives from local, regional and State institutions, as well as national, international and United Nations security forces, the Council also strongly condemned the recent expansion of intercommunal violence — including the horrific attack in Ogossagou on 23 March that left more than 160 civilians dead.

In the statement, the Council called upon Malian authorities to closely coordinate with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and ensure that those responsible for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law are held accountable, also expressing its intention to continue to closely monitor implementation of the Agreement.

The meeting began at 10:09 a.m. and ended at 10:10 a.m.