MINUSMA: 10 years later, at a crossroads

On April 25, 2013, when the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2100 creating the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma), it bet on a rapid return to peace in a country plagued by instability. unprecedented. 10 years later, the Minusma is still present, subject to the multiple developments of a crisis with twists and turns which, in many respects, ended up impacting its effectiveness. Between advances and doubts, a look back at a decade of UN presence in Mali.

The story between the UN Mission and Mali could today be summed up as that of a couple on the verge of divorce. The great love of the beginnings of a “marriage with great fanfare” dissipated over the years, amidst misunderstandings that ended up shattering mutual trust. As a result, after 10 years of living together, the two partners have never come so close to separation. Renewal of the mandate last June against a backdrop of misunderstandings between the Malian government and the Security Council, restrictions on the Mission’s freedom of movement on national territory, public challenges to reports at the United Nations forum, among others.

Moreover, a certain Malian public opinion in favor of a pure and simple departure from the UN Mission in Mali has not ceased to be heard in recent years, even if it contrasts with the support that continues to be given to it by part of the population. of the North with which the Minusma intervenes mainly, in particular in Gao or Timbuktu.

The Yèrewolo Movement Standing on the Remparts, after its letter sent in August 2022 to the leaders of the Mission and other small actions carried out, intends to raise its voice during a meeting on April 28, 2023. The slogan remains the same, “Minusma clear ! “.

The analysis, moreover, of the results of the opinion poll “Mali-Mètre 2022” by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation showed that more than half of the Malian population was not satisfied with the Minusma, with “14% somewhat dissatisfied and 45% very dissatisfied”.

A “mixed” record

The Minusma is pushed out by some Malians and must now deal with the movement restrictions imposed by the authorities of the Transition. About 24.1% of authorizations for helicopter and drone flights have recently been refused. The government blames it on non-compliance with agreed procedures. It will however have succeeded during this decade of presence in the country to achieve results.

“For me, the balance sheet is not negative. When we talk about the Minusma, we must not only see the security aspect. There are other aspects, such as politics, the judiciary, humanitarianism, among others,” says Abdoulaye Tamboura. For this geopolitical scientist, the results of the UN Mission in Mali over the past ten years are rather mixed. If some Malians believe that it is negative, this is not the case for Minusma actors, even if much remains to be done. The feeling of dissatisfaction of the Malian populations vis-à-vis the Minusma, he explains, is linked to its mandate, deemed unsuitable but which it cannot override.

Hamadoun Touré, former minister and former spokesperson for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) agrees. “What is done in the balance sheet of the Minusma does not correspond with what was expected from the Malian populations. The latter thought that the Minusma was going to come and settle everything, just hand over the keys of Mali to the Malians and leave, which did not happen during these 10 years, “he slips. The two analysts agree on an important achievement to be credited to the UN Mission: the end of the belligerence between the Malian state and the ex-rebels. Indeed, since the 2014 ceasefire, arms have been put aside to give the Peace Agreement signed in 2015 a chance, even if it has been increasingly fragile in recent weeks.

For the Spokesperson of the Minusma, Fatoumata Sinkou Kaba, the results of these 10 years of presence in Mali are positive from the angle of the implementation of successive mandates, despite “an unfavorable international situation, with human resources and increasingly reduced financial resources to meet the needs of several hotbeds of tension”.

“The implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement has stabilized the northern regions. It remains the instrument par excellence for the return of peace to Mali. Today, in towns such as Gao and Timbuktu, the inhabitants once again enjoy their freedom of movement, including beyond, especially on days when weekly fairs are held in the surrounding localities. The resumption of trade is a sign of a relative return to peace,” she argues. In addition to this aspect, the new Spokesperson lists the achievements of the structure, which she joined last February, replacing the French Olivier Sagaldo, expelled from Mali a few months earlier.

Reduction of violence between communities in the Center of Mali, securing of the main roads, in particular the RN15, revitalization of Land Commissions (COFO) in the Center regions to reduce violence related to land, implementation of quick impact projects and others, more structuring, financed through the Trust Fund for Peace and Security in Mali, training of the Malian Defense and Security Forces… The list is far from being exhaustive.

Fragile future?

Two months before a possible renewal of his mandate for an additional year, it is difficult to predict the remaining life of the Minusma. As much as the signals of a “programmed death” of the UN Mission have been gathered for several months, the different parties (the Malian State and the United Nations Security Council) do not seem ready to “bury” it.

But the withdrawal of international forces, which had contributed to the protection of the camps and sectors, and the fact that the critical air assets provided for in the force adaptation plan “continue to be lacking”, as well as the “restrictions not declared” are debated. To this must be added the imminent withdrawal of several contributing countries, including Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Egypt, which has suspended its participation. In a recent report submitted to the Security Council for an internal review of Minusma, Secretary General António Guterres makes three proposals for a future reconfiguration of the Mission. According to the document, the first is to increase capacity (i.e. approximately 2,000 or 3,680 additional uniformed personnel), so as to enable the Mission to carry out its mandate in full in all sectors where it is deployed. .

The second is to continue to focus on strategic priorities, with a consolidated presence to support priorities currently mandated by the Mission’s mandate or otherwise within the authorized maximum strength, with a primary focus on supporting implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.

Finally, the third proposal, more drastic than the first two: withdraw the units in uniform and transform the Mission into a special political mission, because “the extension of the mandate of MINUSMA in 2019, without additional capacities being granted to it, put the Mission to the test. The current situation is untenable,” warns António Guterres.

“Without a uniformed personnel component, the Mission would not be able to maintain a civilian presence outside of Bamako, due to asymmetric threats. It would therefore consolidate its presence in Bamako and could continue to support political dialogue and reconciliation, the strengthening of governance capacities and the monitoring, promotion and protection of human rights and encourage the restoration of the authority of the state”, explains the Secretary-General.

Such a reconfiguration could well allow the Minusma to escape its perception by the populations of “force of occupation”, result according to the former spokesman of UNOCI, Hamadoun Touré, of its long duration, “enemy of any mission of peace”.