United Nations S/ PV.8497 Security Council Provisional Seventy-fourth year 8497th meeting Friday, 29 March 2019, 2.30 p.m. New York President: Mr. Le Drian ................................... (France) Members: Belgium ....................................... Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve China ......................................... Mr. Ma Zhaoxu Côte d’Ivoire ................................... Mr. Amon-Tanoh Dominican Republic .............................. Mr. Singer Weisinger Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mrs. Mele Colifa Germany ...................................... Mr. Maas Indonesia. Mr. Djani Kuwait ........................................ Mr. Alotaibi Peru .......................................... Mr. Meza-Cuadra Poland ........................................ Ms. Wronecka Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Polyanskiy South Africa ................................... Mr. Matjila United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Lord Ahmad United States of America .......................... Mr. Hale Agenda The situation in Mali Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of paragraph 4 of Security Council resolution 2423 (2018) (S/2019/207) Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali (S/2019/262) . This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 19-09042 (E) *1909042* S/PV.8497 The situation in Mali 29/03/2019 The meeting was called to order at 2.40 p.m. Ogossagou in Mopti province. It appears to have been a premeditated massacre, in which whole families, Adoption of the agenda including mothers and young children, were hacked to death with machetes in their homes, which were then The agenda was adopted. set on fire. And while it may be the worst attack so far, it is not the first. I want to express my deepest The situation in Mali condolences to the families of the victims and to the Report of the Secretary-General on Government and the people of Mali, and I wish the the implementation of paragraph 4 of injured a speedy recovery. Security Council resolution 2423 (2018) Impunity only fuels the cycle of violence. This (S/2019/207) attack must be investigated urgently and its perpetrators Report of the Secretary-General on the brought to justice. I urge the Malian authorities to step situation in Mali (S/2019/262) up efforts to end the violence and bring back peace and stability to central Mali. But as these attacks become The President (spoke in French): I wish to warmly deadlier and more frequent, we must decide what the welcome the Secretary-General, the Prime Minister international community can do to better support the of Mali, Ministers of Germany, Côte d’Ivoire and Malian authorities and protect all of Mali’s people, the United Kingdom, the Under Secretary of State including the Fulani, who were targeted in the massacre. for Political Affairs of the United States of America and other distinguished representatives present in The security situation is deteriorating rapidly, the Security Council Chamber. Their presence today particularly in the centre of Mali. Terrorist and underscores the importance of the subject matter militia groups are taking over more territory and have under discussion. become more agile and mobile. The expansion of extremist movements has exacerbated long-standing In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s intercommunal tensions between ethnic groups over provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative access to land and water. The proliferation of small arms of Mali to participate in this meeting. and light weapons and the arming of ethnically based On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency self-defence groups have increased violence against Mr. Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, Prime Minister of the civilians. If those concerns are not addressed, there is Republic of Mali, and I request the Protocol Officer to a high risk of further escalation that could lead to the escort him to his seat at the Council table. commission of atrocity crimes. Last year there were more than 240 attacks on civilians, representatives of The Security Council will now begin its the Malian Government and national and international consideration of the item on its agenda. forces, up from 183 in 2016. The number of people I wish to draw the attention of Council members to forced to flee their homes increased from 40,000 a year document S/2019/207, which contains the report of the ago to 123,000 in February 2019, and cases of the use of Secretary-General on the implementation of paragraph improvised explosive devices in central Mali more than 4 of Security Council resolution 2423 (2018) and tripled, from 29 in 2017 to nearly 100 in 2018. document S/2019/262, which contains the report of the We owe Special Representative Mahamat Saleh Secretary-General on the situation in Mali. Annadif and his military and civilian staff our I now give the floor to the Secretary-General His gratitude for the work they are doing in this extremely Excellency Mr. António Guterres. challenging and dangerous mission. Eighteen Blue Helmets from Chad, Guinea and Sri Lanka lost their The Secretary-General (spoke in French): I lives in Mali in the past 18 months. I want to express my thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to deepest condolences to their families and friends, but brief the Council. I welcome His Excellency Prime their sacrifice will not be in vain. The United Nations Minister Maïga. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in We have all been shocked by the recent surge in Mali (MINUSMA) has enhanced its capacity to respond violence in central Mali, particularly the killing last to attacks, even when heavily outnumbered. But as weekend of at least 160 civilians in the village of extremists expand their activities and use increasingly 2/27 19-09042 29/03/2019 The situation in Mali S/PV.8497 sophisticated weapons, the Malian and international as poverty, climate change, competition for resources, forces must also step up and strengthen their response. underdevelopment and the lack of opportunities for young people. Some 2.4 million people in Mali need MINUSMA works in close coordination with the food assistance. There are just three health workers Malian defence and security forces and the international for every 10,000 people in the northern and central forces present in Mali — the Joint Force of the Group of regions. More than 800 schools have been closed and Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) and the French Operation nearly a quarter of a million children have no access Barkhane. I welcome the recent operations led by to education. Barkhane and the G-5 Sahel, and the Council is aware of my view of what is needed to make the Joint Force MINUSMA and the United Nations agencies, fully operational. funds and programmes have now adopted an integrated strategic framework that will help to prioritize tasks (spoke in English) and define responsibilities to support broader and While the security situation is deteriorating, longer-term sustaining peace efforts by the Malian there have been some important steps in the past six Government. There are several important international months towards accelerating the implementation of initiatives under way, including the Alliance for the the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. Sahel, launched by France, Germany and the European More than 1,400 former combatants in Gao, Kidal Union, which aims to invest €9 billion across the region and Timbuktu have joined the Malian army as part by 2022. The G-5 Sahel held a successful partner and of the accelerated disarmament, demobilization and donor conference in Nouakchott in December. While reintegration process, which is an important sign I welcome such initiatives, they are insufficient. of commitment. Interim administrations have been I call upon all to strengthen efforts to address the established in all five northern regions. Discussions root causes of instability and insecurity in Mali on enhancing the participation of women in the peace through humanitarian aid and support for sustainable process are under way. The Government has launched development, including programmes on climate change a comprehensive political and administrative reform mitigation and adaptation. process laying the groundwork for dialogue on how The situation in Mali is a test of the international Mali’s institutions can best serve the interests of community’s ability to mobilize in support of peace its people. I encourage the Government to promote and stability. That is not a question of charity. It is reconciliation and intercommunal dialogue, aimed one of enlightened self-interest. Security in Mali has at ensuring inclusivity, strengthening resilience and an impact on the entire Sahel, which in turn affects creating social cohesion from the ground up. global stability. The entire Sahel region faces severe I welcome efforts by the Government to make transnational challenges, from climate change and this process