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Mali

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali (S/2017/478)

Attachments

I. Introduction

1. By its resolution 2295 (2016), the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) until 30 June 2017 and requested me to report on a quarterly basis on its implementation, focusing on progress in taking forward the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali (see S/2015/364 and Add.1) and the efforts of MINUSMA to support it.

II. Major political developments

A. Implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali

2. The signatory parties to the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali continued to take important steps to implement some of the key interim measures of the Agreement, with the support of the international mediation team. The conférence d’entente nationale (conference for national harmony), which was held in Bamako from 27 March 2 April 2017, brought together more than 1,000 Malian stakeholders, including opposition parties, signatory armed groups and women and youth representatives. The conference resulted in a set of recommendations, which will inform the charter for peace, unity and national reconciliation envisaged in the Agreement. These recommendations include, inter alia, the need to address governance and security issues, especially in the central regions, cultural diversity, the lack of inclusiveness in the political process and socioeconomic issues, as well as the need to fully implement the Agreement. The Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA) rejected the conclusion that the term “Azawad” remained a sociocultural and symbolic reality but carried no political status. A special commission in charge of drafting the charter was set up on 3 May and is expected to submit a draft to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita by 20 June. Of the 53 members of the commission, only six are women, despite the substantial participation of women in the conference. MINUSMA contributed to the organization of the conference, including through its good offices to facilitate the attendance of CMA and the provision of technical and logistical support. The Mission used its public information tools, especially Radio Mikado, to ensure that the conference could be followed by Malians across the country. It also strongly promoted the participation of women with funding from the Peacebuilding Fund.

3. The Agreement Monitoring Committee continued to meet monthly and followed up on the conclusions of its high-level meeting held on 10 February. The activation of a consultation framework chaired by the High Representative of the President and the appointment of an independent observer are still pending. At the meeting held on 2 May, the Committee approved the terms of reference for the independent observer and established a commission led by the High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, Pierre Buyoya, to propose candidates. At the same meeting, the Government announced the extension of the mandate of the interim authorities beyond 20 June to honour the minimum duration of six-months that they were established for. It also stated that all institutional and operational requirements had been met to launch mixed patrols in Kidal and Timbuktu by the end of April, for which CMA and the Platform coalition of armed groups had submitted their lists of participating combatants. CMA committed itself to vacating the camp of the Malian armed forces in Kidal to allow for the construction of a camp for mixed patrols.

4. The last two interim authorities to be established were created in Taoudenni and Timbuktu on 20 April, after a series of negotiations facilitated by the international mediation team and MINUSMA. Further to the occupation of checkpoints of the Malian armed forces by the Mouvement arabe de l’Azawad (MAA) in the outskirts of Timbuktu on 5 March, MINUSMA issued a statement the following day condemning the ceasefire violation. The subsequent reinforcement of the Mission’s presence in Timbuktu to protect the population eventually led to the withdrawal of MAA in late March. On 20 April, the Congrès pour la justice dans l’Azawad, another group that opposed the establishment of the interim authority in Timbuktu, vacated a checkpoint located west of the city, which it had occupied since 3 March. However, the fact that the effective operationalization of the interim authorities has yet to be achieved limits their ability to govern and provide basic social services. In Taoudenni , tensions persisted between the Government and other members of the interim authority. The mixed patrols in Kidal and Timbuktu decided on by the Committee on 2 May were not in place by the end of April. With help from the Trust Fund in Support of Peace and Security in Mali, MINUSMA and partners provided training on administrative functions to the members of the five interim authorities. On 24 April, the Peacebuilding Fund approved a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of the transitional councils of Ménaka and Taoudenni regions.

5. Despite the establishment of the interim authorities, the presence of State officials in northern and central Mali decreased, primarily because of persistent insecurity. As of 26 May, 34 per cent of State officials were present in those regions, which represents a decrease of 4 per cent compared with the previous reporting period. The Governors of Kidal and Taoudenni have not yet joined their duty stations. The percentage of judicial officers stayed the same in the northern regions, at about 33 per cent, as well as in the Mopti region, at 75 per cent.

6. The Government continued its efforts to integrate combatants into its armed forces. On 3 April, it requested technical and logistical assistance from MINUSMA to initiate a special programme for cantonment; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, as well as the integration of the 529 members of the Operational Coordination Mechanism in Gao from CMA, the Platform and some splinter groups. The programme is expected to be replicated at the cantonment site in Fafa, in the Gao region, with a view to extending it progressively to other sites. Once the integration modalities are finalized by the Government, MINUSMA will support the vetting of combatants before they are integrated into the Malian armed forces.

7. On 13 April, in support of the Government, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, convened a meeting of the MINUSMA strategic committee for security sector reform and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration with the diplomatic community in Bamako. Participants in that meeting stressed that a national strategy for security sector reform was needed to guide the implementation of the defence and security provisions of the Agreement. MINUSMA continued to support capacity-building among the members of the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, the Commission on Integration and the National Council for Security Sector Reform.

8. MINUSMA military observers and the mixed monitoring and verification team conducted investigations into allegations of ceasefire violations. They concluded that the Groupe d’autodéfense des Touaregs Imghad et leurs alliés (GATIA) and the Mouvement pour le salut de l’Azawad (MSA) had violated the ceasefire by looting the town of Tiderme, Ménaka region, on 10 February. They also confirmed that the ambush by GATIA of Ganda Izo combatants in the Ansongo area, Gao region, on 22 April, which resulted in one Ganda Izo combatant being injured, constituted a ceasefire violation. The clash between the Coordination des mouvements et forces patriotiques de résistance 2 and GATIA in the proximity of Arbichi, Timbuktu region, on 2 May, which resulted in the deaths of four combatants of the Coordination and one GATIA combatant, was confirmed as a ceasefire violation. The Technical Commission on Security recommended on 23 March that the Agreement Monitoring Committee consider imposing sanctions against those who had attacked the checkpoints of the Malian armed forces near Timbuktu on 5 March. The Committee has yet to discuss this issue.

9. Further to the killing of a GATIA commander by unidentified individuals in Ménaka on 17 March, the Malian defence and security forces, GATIA and MSA established local security arrangements in Ménaka on 31 March, outside the framework of the Agreement. They conducted tripartite patrols and the armed groups established checkpoints around the town.

10. Annex I to the present report contains an assessment of progress made towards the achievement of benchmarks against indicators since the issuance of the report of 30 December 2016 (S/2016/1137), in accordance with resolution 2295 (2016).