Statement by the Minister - Mali – Adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2423 renewing MINUSMA’s mandate

This resolution renews the robust mandate that the Security Council gave to MINUSMA for one year. This mandate is hierarchical, prioritizing support for the implementation of the peace and reconciliation agreement, which remains the leading objective for the stabilization of Mali, but also support for the administration’s return to central Mali, which is in the midst of a growing cycle of violence.

Resolution 2423 also asks the UN secretary-general to work on concluding a peace pact between the Malian government and the UN, which would accelerate the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation. It establishes clear and specific objectives for the signatories that they will have to implement within six months of the inauguration of the President of Mali following this summer’s election.

With this resolution, finally, the Security Council recognizes the complementarity of the actions conducted by the various forces operating in Mali, including the Malian forces, MINUSMA, France’s Operation Barkhane, the G5 Sahel Joint Force, and the European EUTM and EUCAP missions. They are all working toward the same objective: peace and stability in Mali and the Sahel.

I take this opportunity to reaffirm France’s full support for the efforts of MINUSMA, which is playing a role that is crucial to peace in Mali. France remains committed, alongside its partners, to stabilization in Mali.