In a report presented to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres urged Mali’s ruling junta to accelerate the handover of power to elected civilians, as promised for early 2024. He noted progress toward a civilian transition by March 2024, citing the drafting of a new constitution and the establishment of an election‑management authority. However, Guterres warned that “there has been a delay in the implementation of some key activities.” With less than a year remaining in the transition, he said it is incumbent on Malian authorities to do everything possible to restore constitutional order within the agreed timeframe. The junta had previously announced an indefinite postponement of the referendum on the new constitution.
Guterres also expressed concern about ongoing violence and its impact on the population, as well as the deadlock in implementing the 2015 Algiers peace agreement between the Malian state and armed groups in the north. The signatories, particularly Tuareg independence groups, remain at loggerheads with the junta, creating a “climate of deep mistrust,” according to the UN chief. While the Malian military government insists that diligent implementation of the transition timetable remains a priority, it disputes UN accusations that Malian forces, aided by “foreign security personnel” such as the Russian mercenary group Wagner, have committed abuses against civilians.
On the same day, France’s UN ambassador Nicolas de Rivière voiced concern over the lack of reporting on an attack in the central Malian town of Maura in late March 2022, which involved the Wagner Group. Human Rights Watch alleges that Mali’s army and foreign troops, suspected to be Russian, rounded up and killed an estimated 300 men in the town. Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia—currently chairing the Security Council—replied that Moscow is providing “comprehensive assistance” to improve the Malian army’s combat readiness, producing “real results on the ground.”
The Security Council now faces three options proposed by Guterres for the future of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission, whose mandate expires on 30 June: increase its size, reduce troop numbers, or withdraw military and police personnel entirely and transform MINUSMA into a political operation.
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