The first joint mission by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the European Union Political and Security Committee (EU-PSC) to Mali last month was an opportunity to discuss Mali’s peace and security challenges with role players on the ground. Such joint missions could be important instruments to harmonise policy between the PSC and other actors in future.
On 1 March 2015, the Malian government and northern rebels signed a peace deal that is destined to bring an end to the crisis in northern Mali. The main coalition of Touareg rebel groups has, however, requested more time for consultations. The peace deal comes soon after the conclusion of the joint field mission of the PSC and the EU-PSC. Building on their years of collaboration, the PSC and the EU-PSC undertook their first joint field visit on 11–13 February 2015. The decision to undertake this joint field mission was made at the 7th annual consultative meeting between the two bodies in May 2014 at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels.
The Malian government and northern rebels signed a peace deal that is destined to bring an end to the crisis in northern Mali
The mission was jointly led by Ambassador Anne Namakau Mutelo of Namibia (for the PSC) and Ambassador Walter Stevens (permanent chair of the EU-PSC). On 11 February, the delegation held a series of consultations with government officials, political parties and civil society organisations in Bamako. Among others, the delegation met President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and Prime Minister Modibo Keita. The delegation was also briefed by Mali’s minister of defence. The exchanges covered the ongoing efforts towards national reconciliation, security sector reform, other security challenges and the peace talks. Civil society organisations in their interaction with the delegation emphasised the need to fight impunity as part of the effort to build peace in the country.
On 12 February, the delegation travelled to the northern city of Gao. As Gao has witnessed renewed violence targeting Malian forces, peacekeepers and civilians, the delegation could not leave the airport. The delegation nevertheless heard the views of local administration and community representatives. Confirming reports of rising violence, the governor of Gao said that ‘security has worsened since [the] Algiers talks began’. The delegation also held meetings with representatives of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and the French Operation Barkhane. It also exchanged views with the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) and the EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) Civilian Mission to Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali).
The joint field mission was an opportunity for the PSC and the EU-PSC to learn from each other’s institutional approaches; achieve a shared understanding of the challenges facing Mali; and find ways of aligning their engagement in helping Mali overcome these challenges. The mission said it supported the negotiations currently being held in Algiers to find a permanent, peaceful solution to the security situation in the north of the country. ‘The AUPSC/EUPSC Joint Field Mission expressed its deep concern about the persisting violence in northern Mali. It is a threat to the security, stability, territorial integrity and development of the country and the wider Sahel region, and continues to cause massive human suffering,’ the mission said in a statement.
Gao has witnessed renewed violence and the delegation could not leave the airport
Joint action needed in solving crises
It has become clear that no one actor can take on the peace and security challenges in the region. There is now increasing recognition that both African and international actors have critical roles to play, and that they have to coordinate and harmonise their actions to find a successful resolution to the conflict. The joint mission is evidence of this recognition and underscored the need for coordination.
This has also been one of the recurring themes in the statement of the joint mission. It was noted that the joint field mission was a good opportunity to take stock of the progress and synergies achieved by MINUSMA, MISAHEL and the EU CSDP missions (EUTM Mali and EUCAP Sahel Mali). With respect to the Sahel strategies of various organisations, ‘the AUPSC/EUPSC Joint Field Mission emphasised the need for enhanced coordination among regional and international actors in the implementation of their respective strategies for the Sahel’. Indicating the importance of the continuing engagement of the AU and regional actors after the transition of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) to MINUSMA, the joint mission expressed ‘full support to MINUSMA in the implementation of its mandate and its efforts to protect civilians’ and welcomed ‘thereadiness expressed by African troop-contributing countries to contribute to efforts aiming at enhancing the capacity of MINUSMA to execute its mandate’.
Lessons learnt from the first joint mission
Originally scheduled for 17 February, the mission’s outcomes were considered on 19 February. Mutelo gave a briefing to the PSC on the conduct and outcome of the joint mission. The PSC also discussed the follow-up to the consultations and exchanges held with the various national and local actors. In the communiqué it issued afterwards, the PSC stressed that ‘dialogue and reconciliation is the way forward for all Malian stakeholders to address and overcome the challenges facing their country. In this context, [the] Council urges all the stakeholders to support the Algiers Peace Talks’. While emphasising ‘the urgent need to contribute to efforts [aimed] at enhancing the mandate and capacity of MINUSMA to enable it more effectively to execute its mandate’, the PSC underscored ‘the need for closer collaboration between the UN and the AU in addressing the acute situation in Mali’.
It has become clear that no one actor can take on the peace and security challenges in the region
The PSC tasked the chairperson of the AU Commission to urgently dispatch a technical mission in order to assess how best the AU can further assist with socio-economic development. No timeline has, however, been specified on the dispatch of the mission and its reporting back to the PSC.
The PSC communiqué also underscored the importance of the joint field mission. The Council called for ‘further strengthening of this collaboration, including through continuation of AUPSC/EUPSC joint field missions to conflict and post-conflict situations in Africa’.
This mission has set a good precedent on which the PSC can build when planning similar joint missions, not only with the EU-PSC but also with the UN Security Council. The lessons from this joint mission will help in properly planning and preparing for similar visits in future. Internal consultations on the proceedings of the mission were in fact only finalised on 10 February, after the arrival of the PSC members in Bamako. As the first such joint mission, the way in which it has shaped the views of PSC member states will determine the institutionalisation of joint field missions as a useful instrument both for engaging with countries in crisis and for harmonising policy action with partner organisations.
The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies ( http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission granted to www.oasesnews.com
