Political dialogue, not military force, priority in tackling Mali crisis,
Security Council told
5 December 2012 – A military operation may be required as a last resort to
deal with terrorist and criminal elements in northern Mali, but the priority
must be on supporting the national authorities to restore constitutional
order and reach a political settlement to the ongoing crisis, the Security
Council was <
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sc10845.doc.htm> told
today.
Mali has been dealing with a range of security, political and humanitarian
problems since the start of the year. Fighting between Government forces and
Tuareg rebels broke out in the country’s north in January. Since then,
radical Islamists have seized control of the north, where they have imposed
an extremist version of Muslim Sharia law as well as restrictions that
target women in particular.
The renewed clashes in the north, as well as the proliferation of armed
groups in the region, drought and political instability in the wake of a
military coup d’état in March have uprooted hundreds of thousands of
civilians this year.
Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said in a
briefing to the Council that the security situation in the north has
continued to deteriorate, while gross human rights abuses and the
destruction of historical and cultural sites in Timbuktu are still going on.
Over 412,000 people have been forced to flee the north, and an estimated
five million people have been affected by the conflict. Mali’s complex
crisis, he noted, requires an integrated response.
“As a first step, international support should be focused on supporting the
Malian authorities in conducting an inclusive national dialogue aimed at
reaching a national consensus on a transitional roadmap that addresses the
full return to constitutional order and the grievances of groups in the
north,” he stated.
“Secondly, efforts to bring about a negotiated political settlement with
armed groups who have disavowed ties to terrorist groups should continue in
earnest.
“Finally, a well-conceived and executed military intervention in the north
should be conducted as a last resort in the north to address terrorist and
criminal elements and planning should be undertaken for stabilization
activities in recovered areas.”
In his latest <
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2012/894>
report to the Council on the situation in Mali, <
http://www.un.org/sg/>
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that inaction by the international
community may prolong the suffering of those in the north who are living
under the “brutal yoke of the extremists” and are seeing their cultural
heritage being destroyed.
“Every passing day brings with it the risk of a further entrenchment of
terrorist groups and criminal networks,” Mr. Ban wrote. “Nevertheless, I am
profoundly aware that, if a military intervention in the north is not well
conceived and executed, it could worsen an already extremely fragile
humanitarian situation and also result in severe human rights abuses.
“It could also risk ruining any chance of a negotiated political solution to
the crisis, which remains the best hope for achieving long-term stability in
Mali,” he added.
The Secretary-General intends to establish a full-time UN political presence
in the Malian capital, Bamako, that will be responsible for interacting with
key stakeholders and report to both the Special Representative for West
Africa, Said Djinnit, and his Special Envoy for the Sahel, Romano Prodi.
Regarding possible military intervention, UN military and police planners
have worked closely with the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) and the African Union, in consultation with Malian authorities, in
developing a framework for the proposed force.
Mr. Feltman told the Council that there are still questions about how the
international and Malian forces would be led, sustained, trained, equipped
and financed. Should the Council decide to authorize the deployment of the
proposed African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), any
operations conducted by the force will need to be well planned, coordinated
and implemented.
The Secretary-General has proposed benchmarks for the possible commencement
of military operations. They include the demonstrated operational readiness
of the international and Malian forces, positive developments in the peace
process, and the effective training of both forces’ personnel on their
obligations under international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law.
“The Secretary-General’s position is clear,” said Mr. Feltman. “He shares
the urgency about the horrendous crisis facing Mali and he believes, at the
same time, that the international response must be multi-dimensional and
well conceived.”
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Received on Wed Dec 05 2012 - 18:11:06 EST
