Un Security Council Approves Peacekeeping Mission In Mali

[News_Editor]

NEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Thursday adopted a resolution to create a 12,600-strong peacekeeping
operation in Mali, taking over from French and African forces which have battled al-Qaeda-linked fighters in the country's north.

The 15-member Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2100 (2013) to establish the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), allowing it to begin operations on July 1. The initial deployment will be for 12 months, but the council can decide to extend it.

Before MINUSMA's operations begins, the council will first have to review the overall security situation in Mali. Specifically, the council seeks to ensure that major combat operations by international forces have ceased and that there has been a significant reduction in the capacity of militants to pose a major threat to
civilians and international forces.

If the council determines that these criteria have not been met before July 1, the deployment will be delayed.

As part of Resolution 2100 (2013), the UN Security Council has authorized the blue helmets to "use all necessary means" to carry out security-related stabilization
tasks, create the conditions for the provision of humanitarian aid, and to ensure the protection of civilians, UN staff and cultural artifacts.

The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, underlined that the council is aware that it is "going to be a fairly volatile
environment" in Mali. "This is not an enforcement mission. This is not an anti-terrorist operation," he stressed, as MINUSMA's core task is to support the political process in Mali, in close coordination with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"The mission will help the Malian authorities to implement the transitional roadmap towardsthe full restoration of constitutional order, democratic governance and
national unity," said Ladsous. "This includes the holding of elections in July, confidence building and facilitation of reconciliation atthe national and local levels."

The 12-month mandate will take over from the African-led force (AFISMA), and MINUSMA will assume
responsibility for the mandated tasks currently being carried out by the UN
Office in Mali (UNOM), which deployed in January and provides good offices
aimed at facilitating contacts between the Government and those groups that
wish to take part in the search for a political solution to the crisis.

"Human rights is one of the core elements of the mandate. We will do some vetting of the
personnel and we will increase their training in human rights and international
humanitarian law," Ladsous told journalists in New York after Thursday's
vote. "We want our people to be impeccable."

French President François Hollande welcomed the adoption of the resolution. "This is an
important decision that responds to the requests of the Malian authorities and
African organizations to transform the African-led International Support Mission
to Mali into MINUSMA, which must support the Malian authorities in their
efforts to restore the authority of the State, preparations for the election,
and reconciliation among all communities in the country," he said.

"I pay tribute to the crucial role of French, Malian, and African forces which foiled the
terrorist groups that threatened the very existence of Mali. These forces have
shown great courage. The professionalism of the French soldiers is a pride for
our country," Hollande added. France's Ambassador to the UN, Gerard Araud,
also said Thursday that the French government expects to keep approximately
1,000 French troops inside Mali until at least the end of the year.

Mark Simmonds, Britain's Minister for Africa, also welcomed the mission's creation.
"Following French and African military operations in northern Mali, this
is the appropriate next phase in returning security and stability to the
country," he said. "We are pleased that as well as authorizing
deployment of a peacekeeping operation, the Resolution makes clear the
importance of reconciliation and dialogue between all parties. Ultimately a
negotiated political settlement between north and south is the only way to
guarantee long-term stability."

Fighting in northern Mali began in January 2012 as insurgent groups have been campaigning for
independence and autonomy in the region. President Amadou Toumani Toure was
ousted in a coup d'etat in March 2012 for failing to handle the crisis, and by
April, much of the region had been completely seized by rebel forces.

Responding to requests from the Malian government, the French government decided in January
of this year to deploy armed forces in Mali in an effort to prevent rebels from
advancing south and reaching the country's capital. Five French soldiers have
since died in the conflict.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights
reserved. Info: [email protected].)