NEW YORK – Mr Hervé Ladsous, the Under-Secretary-General for UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), has warned that the security situation in Mali is of concern to the world body.
Ladsous made the remark while briefing the 15-members of the Council on Wednesday in New York, via video feed from the Malian capital, Bamako.
He said “it is of serious concern because the rate of attack has increased substantially and steeply amid a reduction in the presence of French troops and the `quasi-disappearance’ of Malian armed forces from many places in the north.’’
He said that the reduction of French troops had created a situation whereby MINUSMA was the main foreign presence on the ground, “and of course, this makes us the target for extremists, jihadists and traffickers.’’
“These groups would want to have the grounds exclusively to themselves so as to carry-on with their nefarious activities.
“We are in a situation where we are no longer in a peacekeeping environment and this behoves on us to take a number of measures to face these asymmetric threats,” he told the Council.
Ladsous pointed out that the Mission was working “very actively” on a number of measures designed to strengthen the protection of MINUSMA bases, camps, equipment and people in the face of what he described as “a whole range of threats”.
These threats include unguided rockets fired randomly, mortar shells, suicide attacks and ambushes.
The under-secretary-general also voiced his frustration over the “slow” progress in peace negotiations, adding that “both on the side of government and on the side of the armed groups, a credible effort needs to be made to find a compromise based on mutual trust and reciprocal good will.
“Without losing any time, it is important for an agreement to be reached,” he stated, reiterating the need for the return of Malian sovereignty to the rest of its territory.
In another development, the Security Council had condemned Tuesday’s attack on MINUSMA in the “strongest terms” while reiterating “full support” for MINUSMA deployment.
The 15 members of the Council urged the government of Mali to “swiftly” investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, adding that “those responsible for the attack shall be held accountable.’’
They also warned that such attacks may constitute war crimes under international law and reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the UN, threats to international peace and security, caused by terrorist acts.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, had also voiced outrage at the fatal attack against UN peacekeepers in Mali, the second in less than a week, that left one “blue helmet” dead and wounded another.
On Tuesday, a number of unidentified assailants launched approximately six mortar rounds at the MINUSMA in Kidal, Mali’s northeast, resulting in the death of a Senegalese peacekeeper.
The attack is coming just four days after an ambush killed nine Nigerien MINUSMA peacekeepers in Mali’s Gao region.
The latest attack brings the total number of fatalities suffered by the UN mission to 31 peacekeepers killed and 91 wounded since it first deployed on July 1, 2013.
NAN reports that in spite of the initial security improvements in 2013, the situation in Northern Mali deteriorated since the beginning of this year.
The first phase of the inter-Malian negotiation process, which was held from July 16 to July 24 in Algiers, was aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace agreement which would end the crisis.
It concluded with the adoption of a roadmap by all parties.
A second phase of peace negotiations is currently underway in the Algerian capital.
MINUSMA was established by Security Council Resolution 2100 of April 25, 2013.
Under the terms of the resolution, the mission would support the political process and carry out a number of security-related stabilisation tasks, with focus on major population centres. [eap_ad_1] It would also focus attention on lines of communication, protecting civilians, human rights, monitoring, the creation of conditions for the provision of humanitarian assistance and the return of displaced persons.
it would similarly focus attention on the extension of state authority and the preparation of free, inclusive and peaceful elections.
It is to also support a political process and help to stabilise Mali.
