UN Chief Antonio Guterres: Algiers Accord, best framework for lasting peace in Mali
BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the military council in Mali to accelerate the transition to a constitutional order, according to the quarterly report on the situation in Mali, stressing that “the Algiers agreement is the best framework to build lasting peace.
Radio France International cited a March 30 report by the UN secretary-general, according to which the latter referred to the 2015 Algiers agreement, signed between the central government in Bamako and the Azawad movements. He expressed concern about its implementation, whilst pointing to an “impasse” or “continued paralysis” of the Algiers agreement. Guterres warned that the Algiers accord remains the ‘best framework’ to build lasting peace, especially with the continued escalation of violence, notably in northeast Mali, and also referred to the mediation efforts of Algeria between the two parties to the conflict.
Previously, Guterres hailed, in a report he sent to the Security Council, the personal commitment of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to the promotion of peace and stability in the Republic of Mali. He notably mentioned that President Tebboune successively received, in January and February, delegations representing all the signatory parties of the Algiers agreement, represented by the government and the politico-military movements.
In the light of these developments, the Secretary-General of the United Nations hailed the leadership of Algeria, which plays a dual role, as leader of international mediation and chairman of the monitoring committee of the agreement, stressing its initiatives to break the current stalemate in the process of implementing the agreement which, according to him, remains the best tool for promoting lasting peace and reconciliation in Mali.
This week, the international mediation on Mali presented the signatories of the peace agreement with concrete proposals aimed at reviving the implementation of the peace and reconciliation agreement resulting from the Algiers process.
A press release from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) indicated that the international mediation is convinced that these proposals, which take into account the concerns expressed by both parties (the central government in Bamako and the movements in the Azawad region in the north of the country), during the various consultations held in Mali and Algeria, are likely to restore confidence and promote the re-establishment of a constructive dialogue under the aegis of the Monitoring Committee of the the agreement chaired by Algeria.
On the other hand, António Guterres asked the “junta to accelerate the pace of the return of power to civilians”, and in return, the UN Secretary General noted “some progress, such as; the drafting of a constitution or the creation of the independent body administering the elections”. But the indefinite postponement of the date of the referendum on the constitution worries Guterres, who pointed out that the military council is committed to a timetable that stipulates the holding of free elections early next year.
