Ambassador Kelly Craft Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the United Nations /  UN Photo 

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW YORK –  The United States is deeply concerned about the recent developments in Mali following a military coup that forced out the President of the  west African nation and is calling for a return to constitutional order. Mali’s ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was been released  from detention last week after being arrested in a military coup August 18 in the west African nation. 

“Although we have been made aware of reports of President Keita’s release, we call on the mutinous officers to immediately release the other officials they have extrajudicially detained in good health and to pave the way toward a peaceful and productive return to constitutional order.”

-Ambassador Kelly Craft Permanent Representative U.S. Mission to the UN

The U.S. ambassador said during a Security Council meeting Monday that  if Malian officials are released from detention, but continue to face implied threats and intimidation, “then clearly the constitutional order is not being respected”.    Ambassador Craft also said the U.S.  is “deeply troubled”  by the patterns of instability emerging in Mali following the coup.  “We urge all Malian stakeholders to work toward a restoration of constitutional government. We urge all stakeholders in Mali to engage in peaceful dialogue, to respect Malians’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and to reject violence.”

U.S. Backs Extension Of Sanctions On MALI 

 The UN Security Council Monday renewed for one year the sanctions regime on Mali against individuals and entities derailing the peace process in the country.  The members of the council adopted Resolution 2484, which extended the sanction measures targeting individuals and entities engaged in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Mali.  The Resolution extends the Mali sanctions measures—an asset freeze and travel ban—until 31 August 2021, and the mandate of the Mali Panel of Experts until 30 September 2021.

“The United States stands with the Malian people and our partners in support of the Algiers Accord, and calls on all parties to fully implement it without delay. We voted to adopt this resolution today because we are deeply committed to the goals that shaped this mandate, and chief among them is accountability. However, while our support for the 2374 sanctions regime remains firm, we are disappointed that the Council failed to seize this opportunity to further strengthen this mandate.”

-U.S. Ambassador Craft

“Due to the position of some of my esteemed colleagues on the Council, we are dismayed that we were unable to agree on the key role human rights abuses play in perpetuating the cycle of violence in Mali, and to highlight the important role of MINUSMA in protecting the Panel of Experts while they are on the ground in Mali.”

“The events that unfolded in Mali just a few weeks ago make this very clear and should spark a sense of urgency in all of us. Rest assured that the United States is watching the situation in Mali closely, and that we will continue working with our partners to find a durable solution to this crisis. The Malian people deserve nothing less.”