Source: usun.usmission.gov/    Ambassador Cherith Norman Acting Deputy Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the United Nations addressed the UN Security Council  on Mali peacekeeping mission MINUSMA at world headquarters in New York Jan. 15, 2020. 

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK  – The United States Wednesday urged the UN to reduce the number of its peacekeeping troops in the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) -West Africa.   US deputy ambassador to the UN Cherith Norman  told the Security Council in a briefing that despite the presence of 15,209 peacekeeping troops in the MINUSMA operation, “Malian citizens are being killed, maimed, and abducted with impunity.”  MINUSMA was established by Security Council Resolution 2100 of April 25, 2013 to support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. MINUSMA has an annual budget exceeding $1 Billion.

“…it is time for this Council to begin developing an alternative approach to address growing instability in Mali. First, we must recognize that peacekeeping missions are not the answer to growing terrorists threats in Mali. A clear-eyed assessment of MINUSMA is needed to determine how the mission most effectively compliments other security activities in the region. Additionally, the mission can reduce its size, allowing member states to apply resources toward a more effective efforts in the region.”

-US deputy ambassador to the UN Security Council Cherith Norman

Now having said that, the US deputy ambassador acknowledged UN peacekeepers in Mali face extraordinary dangers, pointing to the wounding of 18 last week in Tessalit. Ambassador Norman also noted that Malian Armed Forces  are suffering critical loses as well. “The United States honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and we commend MINUSMA, the G5 Sahel Joint Force, and international security forces for their fight against this escalating regional crisis,” she said   Ambassador Norman also called on MINUSMA to stop trying to support implementing  the much-violated  2015 Algiers Agreement, and instead, focus the peacekeeping mission on protecting civilians. “This will allow MINUSMA to direct its resources to the more densely populated and strategically important Center, where it can have an immediate impact.”

UN Mission In  Mali  Is The Deadliest In World For Peacekeepers

Credit Image:  @UN_MINUSMA/Twitter  / A Senegalese peacekeeper on the UN’s Minusma mission in Mali during operation Faden in koro. 

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.  What is happening in the West African nation of Mali is quite unprecedented. The once peaceful country has descended into a cycle  of deadly ethnic and Islamist violence during the past few years.

UN Peacekeeping Mission Chief Strongly Backs MINUSMA 2015 Agreement in Mali 

Meanwhile, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission  Jean-Pierre Le Croix, sharply disagreed with the US  position.  He told the Security Council that implementation of the 2015 peace agreement in Mali provides the only pathway for stabilization there.  MINUSMA was established following fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels in January 2012, leading to the occupation of northern Mali by radical Islamists.  The authorities and two separate armed group coalitions signed the peace deal three years later.  Lacroix began his briefing by addressing the “alarming” deteriorating security situation not only in Mali but in the wider Sahel.   Just last week alone, 89 soldiers from Niger were killed and 18 peacekeepers injured in two separate attacks. There has also been a rise in the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against UN convoys.

“Terrorism continues to feed into inter-communal violence in the centre of Mali,”  Le Croix reported.  “There are now more displaced persons suffering from hunger in the Mopti region than there were in the past.” 

Photo Credit:  UN Photo/Loey Felipe /  Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, briefs the Security Council on the situation in Mali at world headquarters in New York Jan. 15, 2020. 

“The rapid and thorough implementation of the peace agreement remains the only viable path for the stabilization of Mali,” Le Croix stated.   “It provides the framework for the required political and institutional reforms to restore and decentralize State authority, to build a Malian state that reflects the diversity and interests of all its citizens. The peace agreement also provides for mechanisms to address the grievances of those Malians who feel excluded from the country’s political life and economic development and who see little hope for their future.” 

Terrorism continues to feed into inter-communal violence in the centre of Mali,” Le Croix pointed out, adding that there are now more displaced persons suffering from hunger in the Mopti region than there were in the past.

The United Nations supports the G5 Sahel regional body, which brings together Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, all of which are experiencing rising extremist violence. 

French ambassador Nicolas de Rivière told the Council that following a recent summit held in his country, the G5 and its international partners have established a coalition for the Sahel.

“The aim is to step up our support for countries of the G5 Sahel, but also beyond that to incentivize them to engage in reform: of course, security reform, but also governance and human rights reform,”  Ambassador  de  Rivière  said.  “With these conditions being met, we can eradicate terrorism.”