The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. Mongi Hamdi, travelled to Brussels to meet with officials of the European Union.
 
During his stay, he was received by officials of the European External Action Service and the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development. He also briefed the Political and Security Committee of the European Union, which comprises the 28 ambassadors of the Member States. The Special Representative outlined recent developments in the peace process in Mali as well as the major challenges that MINUSMA and Mali’s partners face.

He seized the opportunity to call on the Member States of the European Union to remain engaged in Mali and to support short-term peace dividends. 

“The signing of the Peace Agreement is a decisive step but does not constitute peace and reconciliation in itself. This is why we need to remain engaged in Mali, particularly since extremist groups are already trying to sabotage this Agreement,” Mr. Hamdi continued.

He recalled that the Malian conflict has major implications for security in the sub-region as well as the need to jointly find a comprehensive solution that includes, among other things, a strengthening of the fight against terrorism and crime. 

“While MINUSMA is the most dangerous United Nations mission, with 42 peacekeepers killed since its deployment in 2013, the United Nations remains committed to peace and reconciliation in Mali,” he explained.
  
Mr. Hamdi paid tribute to the work of EUTM and EUCAP Sahel Mali in reforming the security sector. He stressed that if the security aspects of the Agreement are implemented in an inclusive, consensual and timely manner, this will have a positive impact on the efforts to stabilize the regions of the north. He also recalled that a solution cannot be exclusively based on security, but also needs to include the development of the regions affected by the crisis.

Mr. Hamdi concluded his intervention by calling on the countries and institutions of the European Union to participate in the financing of projects that can produce concrete results.