“Renewal of the mandate of Minusma: Mali sets its conditions”. This headline from the government daily The Rise summarizes well the intervention of the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, at the UN Security Council, Monday, June 13. It examined the extension of this UN peacekeeping mission.
Composed of some 14,000 blue helmets and police officers, its objective is to stabilize the situation in Mali. The mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali expires on June 30. The vote of the Security Council must take place the day before this date.
Verbal battle at the UN
In this cozy UN circle, the head of Malian diplomacy did not take tweezers. “How can the Minusma protect the population when it is not able to deal with the violence [des groupes armés terroristes] ?” he asked, referring to the lack of results from this mission. Words quoted by Maliweb which translates:
“For Minister Abdoulaye Diop, it is essential to better define the notion of protection of civilians in the context of asymmetric warfare.”
But the examination of the renewal of the mission of the Minusma was also the occasion of yet another pass of arms in