The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali “is not viable” without increasing the number of peacekeepers, according to a preliminary report by the UN Secretary General.
Minusma was created in 2013 to help stabilize a state threatened with collapse under jihadist pressure, protect civilians, contribute to the peace effort, defend human rights, but the security situation has continued to deteriorate.
“The Minusma is a peacekeeping operation where there is no peace to maintain,” summarizes Antonio Guterres in this document delivered to the members of the Security Council and which should be published soon.
La mission, privée désormais du soutien d’opérations étrangères, notamment de la France qui s’est retirée en août dernier, “a fait de son mieux”, mais “a été poussée au-delà de ses limites”, note-t- He.
The report requested by the Security Council in June when renewing the mission for one year thus considers that “the current situation is not viable” and proposes three series of options to remedy it.
Towards the withdrawal of units?
The first would be to provide the mission with the means to fully fulfill its mandate by increasing its military and police personnel by 3,680 people, or 2,000 in a more modest version. In mid-December, the mission had 12,388 soldiers (against 13,289 authorized by the mandate) and 1,598 police officers (against 1,920 authorized).
But this option requires “all parameters” to be filled. Among these conditions, the Secretary General cites advances in the political transition that foresees, after two military coups, the return of civilians to power in March 2024, as well as the freedom of movement of blue helmets while the UN denounces obstacles imposed by the Malian authorities.
Opposite option, “if the key parameters are not met so that the mission can operate with its current mandate”, the Secretary General evokes the “withdrawal of uniformed units” and the transformation into a “special political mission”, with a presence only in Bamako .
Between the two extremes, the report proposes maintaining the number of blue berets, but modifying the mandate, with the closure of certain camps or a reduction in the presence in the center of the country.
Source: BFM TV
