Mali

Security forces in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have been accused of committing a rising toll of extrajudicial killings in their battle against jihadist groups in the Sahelian region. In Mali, soldiers allegedly conducted 101 executions, 32 forced disappearances, and 32 cases of torture in the first three months of the year, the UN Mission in Mali reported – an overall increase compared to the end of 2019. Most of the violations occurred in heavily contested central Mali.

The European Union has approved another EUR194 million [USD211.4 million] in security, defence, and development aid for the five G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger). Announced after a 28 April teleconference of EU and G5 leaders in Brussels, the money will be used to combat the region’s deteriorating security and social conditions.

In this conversation with Liam Walpole from the Oxford Research Group, DIIS researchers Peter Albrecht and Signe Cold-Ravnkilde talk about the many challenges regarding protection of civilians in the Sahel and the broader West African region.

An upsurge in military action against armed groups in West Africa’s vast Sahel and Lake Chad regions has prompted the United Nations refugee agency to call on all warring parties to protect people caught up in the violence.

Parliamentary elections went on as planned in Mali Sunday, despite threats of Jihadist violence and fears of spreading the novel coronavirus. Low voter turnout was expected Sunday for the run-off legislative elections. The first round of elections, held on March 29th after repeated delays, was marred by intimidation and jihadist attacks — including the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.

Today, Brigadier General František Ridzák was appointed as new EU mission force commander for the European Union military mission, which contributes to the training of the Malian Armed Forces (EUTM Mali). His mandate will start on 12 June 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic plagues the world, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali told the Security Council on Tuesday that the mission continues to fulfill its mandate while doing whatever it can to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from overrunning the country. To date, Mali has recorded 46 positive COVID-19 cases, including one case within the UN mission, and five deaths.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, the European Union’s capacity-building mission EUTM, the French-led counterterrorism force Barkhane, and the regional troops FC-G5S are all in Mali to support the national government in stabilising the country. Despite their efforts, the security crisis in Mali is severe and deteriorating. This report provides an analysis of the state of relations in the multi-actor constellation in Mali, as seen from the perspective of Swedish deployments to MINUSMA and EUTM.

[…] The United Nations reports violence in Burkina Faso has forcibly displaced more than 838,000 from their homes since January 2019. The UN refugee agency reports the escalating militant attacks also are affecting some 25,000 Malian refugees living in remote camps near the border separating the two countries.

Few turned out to vote in Mali's long-delayed parliamentary elections over the weekend, as the country grapples with the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, the kidnapping of main opposition leader Soumalia Cisse, and an ongoing security crisis in the state's north and central regions. An official turnout figure was not available at the closing of the polls.