Credit: /UN_MINUSMA /Harandane Dicko /  MINUSMA Peacekeeping troops based in Kidal in the extreme north of Mali.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS   –   NEW YORK –  The UN Secretariat welcomed  a one-billion-dollar pledge by leaders of West African States (ECOWAS) to combat rising terrorism and ethnic violence in the Sahel region.  Niger’s President  announced at the end of last week’s ECOWAS summit in Burknina Faso that ECOWAS had decided to mobilize “the financial resources of up to a billion dollars for the fight against terrorism.” Terror and violent attacks linked to militant Islamic groups in the Africa SAHEL  region have increased dramatically during the past few years.  The main African countries on the front lines in the battle against terrorism in the dangerous Sahel region are Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso. 

“…we obviously support the effort of ECOWAS and we welcome this pledge.  The Secretary‑General has been calling for greater support to those states, notably the so‑called G5 Sahel states that are fighting various extremist groups.  He believes that those forces should receive predictable funding and support, which is very, very important.  The UN will work in Mali, where it has troops with the local authorities, but it is important to state that the mandate of the UN peacekeepers is not a counter‑terrorism operation.  They have a very specific mandate.  They have, however, borne the brunt of some of the violence.  I mean, the civilians have borne the brunt, but they have been hit hard; our peacekeeping colleagues have been hit very hard.”

-Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.

Five soldiers  from the Malian Armed  Forces (FAMA) were killed in central Mali last month  when their convoy was ambushed by jihadists.  And the week before,  gunmen killed 24 soldiers in an attack on an army unit in neighboring Burkina Faso.  In March,  more than 150 Fulani  were massacred as there seems to be no end in sight to ethnic and jihadist violence in west African nation Mali, despite the presence of thousands of French and UN Peacekeepers.  In 2017, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania — backed by France, launched the G5 Sahel taskforce to combat extremists. But a lack of finance, training and equipment limited their effectiveness and their numbers.

 UN Extends MINUSMA Peacekeeping Mission in MALI As Deadly Violence Continues in West Africa

The United Nations Security Council  in June  extended for one year the mandate of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). 

Credit: MINUSMA/ Marco Dormino  /  Des policiers béninois de la mission de maintien de la paix des Nations Unies au Mali (MINUSMA) et la Garde nationale malienne effectuent des patrouilles conjointes quotidiennes dans les rues de Gao en novembre 2018

UN Mission In  Mali  Is The Deadliest In World For Peacekeepers

MINUSMA  MALI is the  deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world. Since 2013, when MINUSMA deployed,  nearly 200 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including close to  120 killed during hostilities.   The deadly violence has spiraled out of control this year, in particular, with no end in sight despite the presence of thousands of UN and international peacekeeping troops in Mali,  and across the Sahel region.  

ECOWAS Calls On The UN Security Council To Give MINUSMA  a More Robust Mandate To Fight Terror

Credit: ECOWAS /  Ouagadougou,  Burkina Faso,  14th September 2019.  H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, President of Republic of Niger and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government . The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held an Extraordinary Session on Terrorism in the Region.

The ECOWAS  $1 Billion Plan comes at crucial time in the battle against terror in the African Sahel.  At the conclusion of last week’s meeting,  The ECOWAS  Authority called on the UN Security Council to give MINUSMA a more robust mandate to fight  terror. As it stands,  MINUSMA is a peacekeeping operation, and not a military force.