S/PV.7202 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Mali to participate in this meeting. On behalf of the Security Council, I welcome His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/403, which contains the report of the Secretary- General on the situation in Mali. I now give the floor to Mr. Ladsous.

I thank you, Sir, for this opportunity to address the Security Council following the publication of the report of the Secretary- General on the situation in Mali (S/2014/403). That publication occurred while Mali suffered violent clashes in the north that rocked not only the country but also the already fragile political process. This new outbreak of violence, concerning which the Special Representative of the Secretary-General has already reported to the Council, was followed by a suicide attack against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on 11 June in Aguelhok, in which four of our soldiers were killed and six others were wounded, demonstrating yet again the precarious security situation in Mali. I take this opportunity to convey once again our sincere condolences to the families of those peacekeepers and to the Chadian Government and people, and to wish the wounded a speedy recovery. (spoke in English) Despite the efforts of the international community and Malian authorities over the past year, the tragic fighting in Kidal and its aftermath, as well as the general insecurity caused by the persisting presence of terrorist groups across northern Mali, highlight how much remains to be done to achieve lasting stability in that country. A successful political process has to be the cornerstone of that stability. All aspects of the stabilization of Mali, including the restoration of State authority, the re-establishment of security and the protection of civilians, remain contingent on the successful conclusion of peace talks between the Malian Government and northern armed groups in the framework of the Ouagadougou Agreement. The status quo cannot stand. Progress in the political process is urgent, and the time for peace talks is now. After a promising start with the signature of the preliminary agreement one year ago today, the Government and the armed groups have made little progress towards real, substantive dialogue. I think it is fair to say that the lack of progress in the political process led to the sharp deterioration in the security situation in Kidal, where a military confrontation between Government forces and armed groups resulted in heavy casualties and the disorderly retreat of the Malian forces from Kidal and much of the north-east of the country. I condemn the atrocities committed in the course of these hostilities. Armed groups have now assumed effective military and, to an extent, administrative control over Kidal and other northern towns, in breach of the Ouagadougou Agreement. The armed groups must understand that the presence of parallel or competing administration is incompatible with the spirit and the letter of the Ouagadougou Agreement and with the Council’s goal of long-term peace and stability in Mali. These events — along with repeated attacks using improvised explosive devices and indirect fire incidents against MINUSMA, Malian forces and French Operation Serval — reflect a serious deterioration of the security situation since initial improvements in 2013, and have had a continued impact on the political, human rights and humanitarian situation. A narrow window of opportunity has now opened. Thanks to the joint good offices of President Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Koenders, a ceasefire agreement was signed on 23 May to end the hostilities in Kidal. The modalities for the implementation of that agreement were agreed in Gao on 13 June under the auspices of the MINUSMA Force Commander and the head of the Joint Technical Security Commission, which, as Council members know, is the ceasefire management body established by the Ouagadougou Agreement in June 2013. The ceasefire recommits the parties to the preliminary agreement and represents an important step in the right direction. In parallel, the armed groups meeting under the auspices of Algeria in early June signaled their willingness to enter into negotiation with the Government to address the fundamental issues at the root of the conflict through dialogue. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and MINUSMA of course stand ready to continue playing a key role to encourage the launch of the peace talks as soon as possible. But ultimately, it is for the Malian parties to abide by their commitments and agree to the launch of the peace talks. Let me say again that they must do so at once. Let me now turn to MINUSMA and its mandate, on which the Council will be deliberating in the course of the coming weeks. MINUSMA is now at an advanced stage of deployment and is set to reach, by the end of this month, 70 per cent of its envisaged civilian strength, 77 per cent of its military strength, and 83 per cent of its police strength. All of MINUSMA’s authorized military and police capabilities have been generated, but the problem of the utility and armed helicopters remains. Their actual deployment continues to be delayed, however. About 90 per cent of the Mission’s military assets are already based in the north. My Department initiated a strategic review of MINUSMA earlier this year, which sought to test our original planning assumptions so as to inform the Council’s debate on the way forward. As the Secretary-General outlines in his report of 9 June, we are formulating several main recommendations. They are, first, to reiterate the central importance of the political process and reframe and strengthen MINUSMA’s political role; secondly, develop a shared vision for the way forward between the Mission and the Malian authorities; thirdly, maintain the troop and police ceilings while expanding MINUSMA’s presence and mobility in the north as part of an integrated stabilization strategy; and fourthly, add or clarify tasks, such as support for cantonment, local elections and electoral reform, transitional justice and military justice, and counter-trafficking capacity-building, as well as enhanced support to the Malian military, subject to the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. Recent events have highlighted the importance of the central finding of the strategic review that the extension of State authority and stabilization cannot be uncoupled from the political process, which therefore remains the top priority. It also requires a closer partnership between the Government and MINUSMA based on a shared understanding of the Mission’s mandate and the roles of each partner. The Mission’s concentration on the north will require us to address very real and very severe security and support constraints. A revised force laydown of MINUSMA and deployment plan for uniformed and civilian personnel will need to be developed. MINUSMA will need to be innovative in how it further decentralizes its presence, including through the use of tools such as long-range patrols. In order to implement its mandate, MINUSMA must be in a position to identify, mitigate and deter threats against Malian civilians and United Nations personnel and assets. The Mission will have to make maximum use of its capabilities to project its presence beyond its bases of operation. In this regard, I take this opportunity to signal to the Council our intention to deploy unmanned aerial systems in order to enhance the situational awareness of MINUSMA and its ability to protect civilians and its own personnel. We are gratified by the arrival in theatre of combat helicopters that are capable of supporting long-range patrols and deterrent action over a wide area. I would nonetheless urge Member States that have pledged additional assets or that are providing bilateral support to enhance the capabilities of troop-contributing countries to deliver on these pledges as quickly as possible. (spoke in French) The sustained political commitment of the Security Council is essential to the successful stabilization of Mali. Moreover, the bilateral partners and international financial institutions need a consistent approach in order to achieve progress in the areas that are essential to stabilizing the country, such as governance and security sector reform. That will also be indispensable to the complete and successful implementation of the mandate of MINUSMA. We are relying more than ever on the support and cooperation of all partners, including the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the European Union and all the friends of Mali, in order to achieve the objective shared by all, above all the people of Mali, of achieving a lasting, just and inclusive peace that will allow the country to focus on its top priority — development.

I thank Mr. Ladsous for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Mali.

At the outset, Sir, allow me to express the appreciation of my delegation at seeing your great country, the Russian Federation, preside over the work of the Security Council for the month of June. I extend our warmest congratulations to the Republic of Korea for its outstanding leadership of the Council’s work last month. I welcome the convening of today’s meeting devoted to the consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). It is no coincidence that the presentation of the report under consideration (S/2014/403) is taking place today, on the first anniversary of the signing in Ouagadougou preliminary agreement on the the presidential elections and the inclusive peace talks in Mali. This seems to us to augur well, in spite of the abrupt deterioration in the security situation in the north of our country following attacks targeting Malian armed forces carrying out their mission to provide security for the visit by Mali’s Prime Minister to Kidal on 17 May. On that day, Malian rebel groups, supported by a mob of terrorists, decided to attack the Prime Minister’s delegation and the Malian armed forces protecting him inside the Kidal governorate. Those mixed armed groups killed soldiers and coldly executed civilian prefects and sub-prefects, simply because they symbolized the attributes of Malian sovereignty in the Kidal region. They also abducted and kidnapped several civilians, before releasing them a few days later under pressure from MINUSMA. In carrying out those actions, they at least willfully violated the preliminary agreement and committed serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Republic of Mali welcomes the support of the international community, particularly through the Security Council’s statement of 20 May and the final communiqué of the Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held on 31 May, which condemned the 17 May attack against the Malian armed forces and reaffirmed the need to preserve national unity, territorial integrity and the secular and republican form of Government. ECOWAS Heads of State and Government further affirmed that the security threats Mali faced in 2012 were still present. The comingling of those posing the threats has led to terrorists entering into pacts with other actors carrying out crimes in the Sahel. They also make pacts with the rebels. That was eviddent in the assault against Mali’s armed forces on 17 May in Kidal. Preliminary evidence indicates that the murders committed against State officials in Kidal bore the hallmarks of terrorist groups and organizations. Because “peace has victories no less renowned than war”, we chose peace. In spite of the barbaric and unspeakable acts that we have suffered — acts condemned by the international community, including the Security Council, the African Union, ECOWAS and several bilateral and multilateral partners — the Government of Mali is more than ever driven by a constant concern for Malians to reconcile with Malians. To that end, Mali is putting all its resources behind creating the best conditions for national reconciliation, the restoration of social cohesion and the consolidation of national unity. It is in that spirit that His Excellency President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita did not hesitate for a single moment, and ordered Malian armed forces to observe a ceasefire on 21 May, when the Secretary-General asked for it. That gesture of appeasement greatly facilitated the signing of the 23 May casefire agreement between the Government of Mali and the armed movements and groups, under the supervision of His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chair of the African Union. We welcome here his strong leadership in the fight against terrorism and his desire to make the Sahel a region of peace, security, development and shared social well-being. Since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, achieved thanks to the involvement of the United Nations and the African Union, the Government of Mali has not stopped calling on groups and armed movements to show good faith and to engage in the path of dialogue. To articulate his determination to peacefully resolve the issue concering the situation in the north of Mali, President Keita decided to appoint former Prime Minister Modibo Keïta as his High Representative for the Inter-Malian Inclusive Dialogue. His particular mandate is to establish and maintain a climate of trust among all parties involved in the dialogue, to facilitate exchanges and to contribute to a rapprochement of views in the interests of the people of Mali. He is authorized to take any initiative conducive to the conclusion of a final comprehensive peace agreement. Also as part of his mandate, the High Representative has already made contacts in Ouagadougou and Nouakchott with all groups and armed belligerent groups arrayed against the Government of Mali, so as to signal the resolute determinaiton of the President and the Government to prioritize dialogue on weapons and to spare no effort to create the best conditions for the conclusion of a final comprehensive peace agreement on the crisis in north of Mali. The High Representative has also urged the armed groups and movements to reiterate their commitment to the Ouagadougou preliminary agreement, which they agreed to do. He is currently continuing the process of making contacts with the Government of Mali and the other national, regional and international actors involved in the peace process. And he is working closely with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and with other special envoys of regional organizations. With regard to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, esablished in March 2013 by the President of the Transition in accordance with article 21 of the Ouagadougou agreement, the National Assembly adopted the law on its establishment last March. While its members are yet to be appointed, the Minister of National Reconciliation is actively working on that. It goes without saying that those two mechanisms — the High Representative and the Commission — are complementary and mutually reinforcing. The former is working on the conclusion of a final comprehensive peace agreement; the latter is working on reconciling hearts and minds, which of course is a long-term undertaking. Mali is willing to consider with its friends, partners and many supporters any mechanism for emerging from the crisis effectively and efficiently, in support of its efforts. It is in that context that Algeria, to which we pay tribute, undertook, at the request of the President of Mali, to carry out exploratory consultations among all armed groups and movements in the north to develop a common platform to serve as a basic document, among other things, to hold inclusive inter-Malian talks, which are slated for the coming days. The Government of Mali has reiterated its confidence in Algeria and asked it to continue its efforts so that the talks can lead to a final comprehensive agreement as soon as possible. Part of that undertaking included the holding, at Algiers on 16 June, of the third coordination meeting for the Inter-Malian Inclusive Dialogue process, with the participation of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and heads of delegation of Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Chad, the Niger and Burkina Faso, a well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General — our friend Albert Koenders, who is here and whom I commend for his active participation and outstanding contribution to the meeting — and former Burundian President Pierre Buyoya, High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, who is seated next to Mr. Koenders. Participants at the meeting welcomed the progress made under the auspices of Algeria in creating conditions conducive to Inter-Malian Inclusive Dialogue and noted the broad convergence of views on the guidelines of the agreed approach. They also noted that the conclusions reached by the six armed groups and movements in northern Mali — on 9 and 14 June, as well as those adopted by the fourth meeting of the Algeria-Mali strategic committee on15 June at Algiers — offer a promising opportunity to be exploited without delay in order to engage the stakeholders on the path of the Inter-Malian Inclusive Dialogue. They also stressed the importance and urgency of conducting the initial phase of dialogue foreseen at Algiers, in line with the time line and the modalities agreed. Finally, participants expressed their readiness to provide support and assistance to these efforts in line with the objectives that the international community set itself in resolution 2100 (2013), the relevant decisions of the African Union and ECOWAS and the provisions of the Ouagadougou agreement aimed at preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Mali and consolidating national unity. In that context, it was agreed with Algeria that certain key principles would be respected in the process. The first principle is that of inclusivity. All partners with the necessary influence and capacities must contribute to or be involved in the process. The second principle is that of transparency. It is agreed that, to the extent possible, the elements up for discussion must be shared with all the partners with an interest in the process. The third principle is the need for coordination and consistency among all the intitiatives taken with respect to Mali, and to ensure that these initiatives are addressed as a whole and that a mechanism is found to align the efforts launched in Algiers with the need for enhanced input on the part of the parners, including the United Nations, which we hope will maintain its central role in the process. The Government of the Republic of Mali’s agrees with the Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS that, in order to help our country to regain its sovereignty over its entire national territory, including Kidal, the Security Council should strengthen the mandate of MINUSMA and give it the means and personnel to properly carry out its mission of guaranteeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou agreement of 18 June 2013. In that regard, we regret that, a year after the establishment of the Mission and in an especially volatile context, it does not yet have the troops or resources necessary to duly fulfil its mandate. I should now like to share the expectations of the Government of the Republic of Mali in the context of the renewal of the mandate of MINUSMA. With respect to the stabilization of the northern regions of Mali, my country would like to see the future MINUSMA mandate contain a clear provision on the Mission’s rapid deployment beyond the major northern population centres, particularly around the villages and nomadic lands. This proposal has the advantage of taking into account the lifestyle of nomads from the north who prefer to live outside of large cities. It would fill the security vacuum in the gray or lawless areas where people are most vulnerable to infiltration by armed groups that have not signed the the Ouagadougou agreement and may be affiliated to the terrorist networks Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the Mouvement pour l’unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest or Ansar Dine, and other drug-trafficking groups, as was the case in 2012. My delegation also wishes to draw the Council’s attention to the need to authorize the conduct of joint Malian armed forces/MINUSMA operations to optimally restrict the freedom of movement of armed groups that are not signatories of the Ouagadougou agreement and may be associated with terrorists and drug traffickers. Similarly, Mali seeks MINUSMA support in order to accelerate the process of cantonment and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), so as to isolate and disarm non-signatory armed groups affiliated to networks that are wiping out the security gains made in northern Mali by Operation Serval and the Malian and Chadian armed forces. In the same vein, Mali believes that it would be advisable to include the following elements in the Council’s future resolution on MINUSMA: the solid support of MINUSMA for the strict implementation of the ceasefire in all its components, for the return to the positions held before 17 May, for the revitalization and reactivation of the follow-up mechanisms of the Ouagadougou agreement, and for the relaunch of the peace talks; the strong support of MINUSMA for the cantonment and DDR of armed groups that have signed the Ouagadougou agreement; MINUSMA support for the Malian State in the redeployment of the administration and the reconstruction of the northern regions; the substantial reduction of the MINUSMA footprint in the south to the benefit of the regions of the north, where there is a real and pressing need for stabilization and reconstruction; the support of MINUSMA and the international community for the coming local and regional elections; the establishment of the international commission of inquiry provided for in the ceasefire agreement of 23 May; and the establishment, in the resolution on MINUSMA, of a benchmark for monitoring the implementation of the new mandate. On behalf of the grateful people and Government of the Republic of Mali, I pay reverent homage to the memory of all the brave soldiers, Malian civilians and friends of Mali who have lost their lives in the fight against obscurantism, terrorism and violent extremism in Mali. Furthermore, on behalf of the people, Government and President of Mali, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, I express our deep gratitude to the French and Chadian authories, the United Nations, ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the countries that contribute troops to MINUSMA. We commend MINUSMA, its personnel and in particular Special Representative Mr. Albert Gerald Koenders, as well as all Mali’s bilateral and multilateral partners, for their unwavering support at the height of the crisis and the terrorist occupation we have suffered for the past year. We convey our deep gratitude to them all.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.