Mali president urges quick implementation of peace pact over worsening security

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Monday said implementation of the Mali Peace and Reconciliation Agreement should be accelerated due to the worsening security situation.

The agreement was signed on May 15, 2015 between the Mali government and armed groups of the North.

In a speech to the nation, Keita said he had decided to "make the implementation of the agreement an absolute priority."

"One year since the signing of the agreement, delays in implementation of the agreement and extension of terrorist threats across the entire country demonstrates that the path to peace is still full of pitfalls."

However, he said, "there has been some progress in implementing the agreement despite the delays."

At the same time, the president appointed Mahamadou Diagouraga as his representative in the committee charged with implementing the peace and reconciliation agreement.

The Malian president equally called for "better coordination between international partners, the French Barkhane forces, the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) and the Malian authorities."

"We need to work together to defeat the enemies of peace who are essentially the terrorists and drug traffickers in the North," Keita said.

He said it was important "that the next mandate of MINUSMA which will be examined in June by the UN Security Council, will give the mission all necessary powers so that the zones where it is deployed do not serve as operation ground for forces hostile to peace." Endit