United Nations Security Council Resolution 2480 –The situation in Mali

Resolution 2480 (2019)

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions, statements of its President and press statements on the situation in Mali,

Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali, emphasizing that the Malian authorities have primary responsibility for the provision of stability, security and protection of civilians throughout the territory of Mali,

Reaffirming the basic principles of peacekeeping, including consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the mandate, recognizing that the mandate of each peacekeeping mission is specific to the need and situation of the country concerned, and recalling its Presidential Statement of 14 May 2018 (S/PRST/2018/10),

Expressing grave concern about the continued deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in Mali, including through the maintenance of a high level of asymmetric attacks by terrorist groups in the North and the escalation of intercommunal violence in the Centre, which have caused the loss of numerous innocent lives as well as numerous internally displaced people, people in critical need of assistance and children without access to education due to school closures, and further expressing deep concern that the situation in Mali negatively impacts that of neighbouring countries and of the Sahel region,

Emphasizing that security and stability in Mali are inextricably linked to that of the Sahel and West Africa, as well as to that of Libya and North Africa,

Strongly condemning the continued attacks against civilians, representatives from local, regional and State institutions, as well as national, international and UN security forces, including the Malian Defence and Security Forces (MDSF), the G5 Sahel joint force (FC-G5S), the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the French forces and the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali),

Underlining that lasting peace and security in the Sahel region will not be achieved without a combination of political, security and development efforts benefitting all regions of Mali, as well as the full, effective and inclusive implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali (“theAgreement”), which involves all Malian actors supportive of the peace process and ensures full, effective and meaningful participation of women and youth,

Recognizing that more progress was made during the past nine months than during the first years after the signing of the Agreement, which we re characterized by a slow pace of implementation, noting that a combination of some level of political will and international pressure, including through the prospect of sanctions, constituted an important factor in securing these positive results, and underlining that MINUSMA, along with the other security presences mentioned in resolution 2423 (2018), significantly contributes to the implementation of the Agreement and to the stabilization of Mali,

Expressing a significant sense of impatience with parties over the persistent delays in the full implementation of key provisions of the Agreement, regretting the recent stagnation in the implementation process mentioned by the Independent Observer in its April 2019 report, noting that protracted delays in implementation contribute to a political and security vacuum jeopardizing the stability and development of Mali as well as the viability of the Agreement, and stressing the need for increased ownership and prioritization in the implementation of the Agreement,

Underlining that engaging in hostilities in violation of the Agreement as well as actions taken that obstruct, or that obstruct by prolonged delay, or that threaten the implementation of the Agreement constitute a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017), among other designation criteria,

Underlining that stabilization of the situation in Central Mali requires the implementation of a renewed and fully integrated strategy encompassing simultaneous pursuit of progress on security, governance, development, reconciliation, accountability, as well as protection and promotion of human rights,

Stressing the importance of ensuring the success of the inclusive political dialogue recently announced with the aim to build consensus on key political and institutional reforms,

Strongly condemning all violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law, including those involving extrajudicial and summary executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions and ill-treatment of prisoners, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as killing, maiming, recruitment and use of children, attacks against schools, hospitals and humanitarian and medical personnel, and calling upon all parties to bring an end to such violations and abuses and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law,

Reiterating, in this regard, the importance of holding accountable all those responsible for such acts and that some of such acts referred to in the paragraph above may amount to crimes under the Rome Statute, and taking note that, acting upon the referral of the transitional authorities of Mali dated 13 July 2012, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened on 16 January 2013 an investigation into alleged crimes committed on the territory of Mali since January 2012,

Emphasizing the need for adequate risk assessment and risk management strategies, by the government of Mali and the United Nations, of ecological changes, natural disasters, drought, desertification, land degradation, food insecurity, energy access, climate change, among other factors, on the security and stability of Mali,

Commending troop- and police- contributing countries of MINUSMA for their contribution, paying tribute to the peacekeepers who risk, as well as lost, their lives in this respect,

Further commending MINUSMA’s efforts to adopt a more robust posture over the past months as well as the intensification of the frequency and scale of its operations,

Recognizing that, in light of the specific and challenging environment in which it is deployed, MINUSMA interacts with other security presences which have the potential to be mutually beneficial instruments to restore peace and stability in Mali and the Sahel region,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2019/454),

Determining that the situation in Mali continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security,

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 8568th meeting, on 28 June 2019