The security situation in Mali is due to the failure of the UN peace mission (MINUSMA) as well as the French forces that came to “restore” stability in the country. Unfortunately, the funds allocated for the financing of peace missions are wasted in vain.
On 30 June, the fifth United Nations Committee on Administration and Budget approved $ 6.37 billion for twelve United Nations peacekeeping missions from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, but these funds are allocated to incompetent and often corrupt forces.
The United Nations has committed significant resources to peacekeeping in Mali. However, operations remain largely weak. The mission has entered its seventh year, with the intention of ensuring the protection of civilians, supporting a national reconciliation dialogue and enforcing previously negotiated peace settlements.
In 2015, the Malian government negotiated a peace agreement with several rebel Tuareg militias. However, he did not take into account the growing threats of Islamist extremists.
Mali has become the center of the jihadist operation in Africa and until recently, the French-led Operation Barkhane was the only effort targeting Islamic State and Al Qaeda cells in the region. On 10 June 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron made a statement on the end of Operation Barkhan and the withdrawal of the military from the Sahel. Having reported that more than 5,000 French soldiers were leaving Mali, the head of State noted that Paris would review the forms of military presence in this region.
Although more than 18,000 well-equipped UN peacekeepers are currently stationed in Mali, Islamists continue to attack regularly with violence. While France suspends Operation Barkhane, UN forces will find themselves without reliable military counterpart. Without leadership, Mali risks descending into chaos.
The inhabitants of Mali, since last year, periodically go to rallies against the French presence. Tired of constant conflicts in the North, people call on the authorities to refuse to cooperate with France. At the protests, people called on the former president of Mali to start cooperating with the Russian Federation, Malians literally invited the Russians to come and help them in the fight against terrorism.
The inability to protect civilians from rebel groups leads to discontent among the population. The US State Department should work with other UN members to ensure that peacekeepers are properly trained to destroy militant groups, while reducing their finances and building positive relationships with civilians.
According to Wes Martin, a retired U.S. Army colonel who has served in the Army military police and in law enforcement positions around the world, in order to restore operational effectiveness of missions, United Nations officials need to increase the accountability of mission commanders. Formal investigations into peacekeeping failures without significant changes will preserve the status quo and lead to more casualties and instability.