Mali

Immediate action is required now to initiate critical reforms and lay the groundwork for credible elections in Mali, where the security situation is as worrying as ever, the Head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) told the Security Council on Monday.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced a major drawdown of France’s military presence in the Sahel where forces have been battling jihadist insurgents for nearly a decade. At a news conference, Macron said the existing Barkhane operation would end, with France’s presence becoming part of the so-called Takuba international task force in which “hundreds” of French soldiers would form the “backbone”.

This month, the United Nations Security Council will renew the mandate of the 8-year-old United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) at a time of multiple transitions and great uncertainties, … .

For several years, the United Nations (UN) and its member states have debated how best to support some of the ongoing military operations in the Sahel, a region suffering from rising levels of violence, as well as political, humanitarian, and environmental crises. Since December 2017, the UN offered to support the G5 Sahel Joint Force through a complicated set of arrangements. Today, there are growing calls for the UN to establish a dedicated support office to finance the G5 Sahel Joint Force out of the UN’s assessed peacekeeping contributions. 

Colonel Assimi Goita has become the new interim president of Mali. The young army officer has instigated two military power grabs in the impoverished country, provoking international concern.

The leader of the latest military coup has named a new prime minister. Choguel Maiga, a Malian political veteran, was a key player in the protest movement against deposed president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020.

The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership in response to last week’s military coup and threatened sanctions if a civilian-led government is not restored, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

France said Thursday it will suspend joint military operations with Malian forces after the country’s second coup in nine months, “awaiting guarantees” that civilians will return to positions of power.

A UN independent human rights expert said on Wednesday that Mali’s new military authorities should “scrupulously respect human rights” and release all leaders detained in last week’s coup. Alioune Tine, independent expert for human rights in Mali, said that contrary to news reports, President Bah N'Daw and former Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were not freed by the military on 27 May, but instead moved to house arrest. 

West African leaders have suspended Mali from their regional bloc in response to last week’s coup but stopped short of imposing new sanctions.