Panafrican News Agency

Malian FM denies allegations in UN Secretary General's report on Mali

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, denied Tuesday before the Security Council many allegations contained in the latest quarterly report of the UN Secretary General on the situation in Mali, reports the Malian News Agency (AMAP).

Before the UN Security Council meeting to examine the document, Diop said the report "would have gained in objectivity if it informed more about the efforts and progress made by the government of Mali in the search for peace and security of the national territory and the protection of civilians".

The various interventions concerned, among other things, the progress made by Mali in the transition process, the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, human rights violations, restrictions imposed by the Malian authorities on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the issue of rotations, the issue of Ivorian soldiers, and the deteriorating security situation.

The representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Anna M. Evstigneeva, said that the situation in Mali was stabilizing.

According to her, despite the difficulties, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMAs) had demonstrated in recent months that they were "capable of achieving real results in the fight against terrorism", stressing that Russia had provided the Malian Army with multifaceted assistance, including capacity building and training of soldiers.

She added that her country was "deeply concerned by attempts to transform the Sahel into a theatre of geopolitical confrontation between foreign powers".

Considering this situation contrary to the interests of the states and peoples of the Sahel, Ms. Evstigneeva cited the internal disagreements of the G5 Sahel, provoked from outside and which forced Mali to leave this organization.

She also denounced "the strongly negative reactions of the West against the strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Mali".

In his speech, Diop began by stating that, on the political level, significant progress had been made during the period covered by this report.

This progress includes "a peaceful and secure return to constitutional order, in particular the adoption of a timetable for political and electoral reforms, the election calendar, the new electoral law, and the submission of the preliminary draft of the new Constitution to the President of the Transition.

On the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, Mr. Diop explained that "Mali remains fully committed to its diligent and intelligent implementation for its lasting stability".

Regarding the security situation in his country, Diop said that since December 2021, Mali's Defence and Security Forces had launched major military operations that had made it possible to destroy several terrorist sanctuaries, make significant seizures of weapons and war materials, liberate several localities and facilitate the return of displaced persons.

He said the government had adopted an integrated strategy for the Centre which includes purely security aspects, political approaches and economic, social and cultural development.

The Malian Minister for Foreign Affairs said he was surprised that the report did not mention Mali's referral to the Security Council on 15 August 2022 for the attempts at destabilization and the repeated violations of Malian airspace by French forces.

He therefore reiterated the Malian government's request for a specific meeting of the Security Council, which would give it "the opportunity to present concrete evidence of France's duplicity, espionage and destabilization of Mali, including the sharing of intelligence and the dropping of military equipment to criminal organizations".

Diop said that "the Malian government reserves the right to resort to self-defence if France continues to undermine Mali's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security".

On the issue of human rights, he maintained that the military operations of the Defence and Security Forces were conducted in strict compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law.

"The Malian government remains firmly opposed to the instrumentalization and politicization of the issue of human rights for the purposes of destabilization, intimidation and blackmail," he said, stressing that, contrary to what was being said, there was no desire to restrict the movements of the UN Mission.

On the issue of the Ivorian soldiers, Mr. Diop deplored the fact that the report failed to refer to the 'note verbale' dated 22 July 2022 in which MINUSMA clearly stated that there was no link between the 49 Ivorian soldiers and the Mission.

Finally, he recalled the key principles laid down by the President of the Transition which guided public action in Mali, namely respect for Mali's sovereignty, respect for the strategic choices made by Mali and its partners, and consideration of the vital interests of the Malian people in the decisions taken.

-0- PANA GT/IS/BBA/RA 19Oct2022