Credit:  UN Photo/Evan Schneider /  Issa Konfourou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mali to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the deteriorating security situation in his country at UN world headquarters in New York 08 October 2019.

By Gary Raynaldo    /  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW  YORK –  The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is slowly descending into a quagmire amid the endless deadly terrorist attacks and ethnic violence that has plagued the West African nation during the past six years. In June, the UN Security Council extended for one year the mandate of MINUSMA.  The MINUSMA  MALI peacekeeping mission is the  deadliest in the world. Since 2013, when MINUSMA deployed, more than 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.  The UN Security Council on Tuesday Oct. 8, 2019 held its first meeting on Mali since it renewed the mandate of MINUSMA.

Security In West Africa Mali Remains Elusive

Some progress has been made towards restoring peace and stability in Mali as outlined in a fragile 2015 peace deal, yet sustainable peace developments are not happening fast enough, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.

Briefing on the Secretary-General’s latest report via video conference from the capital Bamako, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Special Representative and head of the UN Mission to the country (MINUSMA), said that while accounts of violence continue to surge, some efforts to accelerate disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), as set out in the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, have proved fruitful.  “The report under your consideration is being presented at a time, when latest developments from Mali are not very encouraging”,   Saleh Annadif lamented, citing attacks near the Burkina Faso border last week, and the death of a MINUSMA ‘blue helmet’ and wounding of another, just 48 hours ago.

Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe  /  Jerry Matthews Matjila (centre), Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of October, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Mali Oct. 8, 2019.

UN MINSUMA ANNUAL BUDGET INCREASES 

 UN MINUSMA    Approved budget: (07/2019–06/2020): $1,221,420,600

UN MINUSMA        Approved budget: (07/2018–06/2019): $1,074,718,900 

-12,647 Military Personnel Deployed

Les contingents du Niger et du Bangladesh lors d’une opération militaire à Ansongo. Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino

-Political And Security Situation In The Sahel and Libya Negatively Affecting Mali

Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe /  Issa Konfourou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mali to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on Mali Oct. 8, 2019.

The political and security situation in the Sahel and Libya continued to negatively affect Mali and neighboring countries, in particular Burkina Faso and the Niger, and also, increasingly, the West African States of the Gulf of Guinea, with reports of violent extremist cells and threats or attacks in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Toga, according to a report of the UN Secretary-General on the Situation in Mali.

The security situation remained complex in both northern and central Mali. Attacks by terrorist groups perpetrated predominately in northern Mali continued to target national defense and security forces, MINUSMA, and international forces with improvised explosive devices, rocket and mortar attacks and small arms fire, the UN-Secretary-General’s report highlighted. 

Asymmetric and other Attacks

Extremists carried out 62 asymmetric attacks, with Northern Mali recording the  majority thereof (67 percent), including Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal.

Number Of Civilians Killed Increasing 

Civilians continued to be targeted directly, as victims of extremists violence and inter-communal attacks , as well as indirectly, as victims of improvised explosive devices and banditry. During the relevant reporting period, there were 331 incidents, in which 367 civilians were killed, 221 were injured and 63 were abducted.  In the previous reporting period, 333 civilians were killed.