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Spotlight: UN works to strengthen capacities of peacekeeping mission in Mali

Xinhua, June 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The UN Security Council will be working on recommendations on capacity building for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali as well as increasing its troop levels, French Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre said here on Wednesday.

Delattre, also the president of the Security Council for June, said the recent attacks in Mali have indicated that the mission, known as MINUSMA, is working in a particularly difficult context.

On Tuesday, one peacekeeper from China was killed and a dozen UN personnel were injured when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated at a MINUSMA camp. In May alone, a series of attacks directed against MINUSMA killed 12 peacekeepers and injured many more.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon intends to present to the Security Council proposals to strengthen the mission's posture and capabilities in the coming days, said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a daily briefing after Tuesday's attacks.

"He reiterates the long-standing demand to ensure that MINUSMA forces are adequately equipped to operate in a dangerous and unpredictable environment such as Mali," said Dujarric.

MINUSMA was established in 2013 to support Mali' s reconciliation between the north and south and carry out security-related tasks.

However, with many armed groups active in the country, the security situation in the country is still grave. The mission has already lost more than 60 lives so far, making it the UN's deadliest active mission.

As noted in Ban's report in March on situation in Mali, MINUSMA force has been faced with persistent operational difficulties, coupled with security challenges posed by drug trafficking and terrorism.

The report said the mission is under-resourced in terms of armored personnel carriers, and some units have insufficient equipment.

The strength of the military component of MINUSMA stood at 10,698 personnel and an authorized strength of 11,240, representing 95 percent of authorized military personnel, noted the report.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Security Council "stressed the importance that MINUSMA has the necessary capacities to fully fulfill its current mandate."

Last year, the Security Council renewed the mandate of MINUSMA for a year until June 30, 2016 with an aim to support the implementation of the Mali peace accord.

The 15-nation council supports the mission in assisting Mali to bring stability back to the country, said the statement.

Nowadays, a main challenge for UN peacekeeping missions is that they are operating in countries where the level of threats is very high, UN Peacekeeping Chief Herve Ladsous told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Ladsous said some jihadist groups have designated the UN mission as a target.

"We are asked to step in when the political process is still quite weak, so that means many actors are trying to play a game often at our expense," he said. Endit