Meeting of the Commission Technique Mixte de Sécurité in Bamako

6 Aug 2015

Meeting of the Commission Technique Mixte de Sécurité in Bamako

The Commission Technique Mixte de Sécurité (CTMS – Mixed Technical Commission for Security), which is tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities agreements, met at MINUSMA headquarters in Bamako yesterday. The meeting was presided by the Force Commander of the Mission, Major General Michael Anker Lollesgaard.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Government, the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA), the Plateforme des Mouvements d’Autodéfense and the International Mediation and took place in a constructive atmosphere.

The discussions produced the following results:

- Recommendations were approved regarding four reports on allegations of violations of the ceasefire, which were discussed during the meeting.

- A prior CTMS decision to establish an Equipe Mixte d’Observation et de Vérification (EMOV – Mixed Team of Observation and Verification) in Kidal was confirmed and the three parties (Government, CMA and Plateforme) will appoint their respective members to this team during the course of August 2015.

- The parties agreed that the conditions are now in place to end the CTMS and activate the Comité Technique de Sécurité (CTS – Technical and Security Committee), which is foreseen in the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement and will report to the Comité de Suivi de l’Accord (CSA – Agreement Monitoring Committee). The first meeting of the CTS should be held on 1 September 2015.

- The parties agreed that the situation in Ménaka remained a problem.  Nonetheless, they all agreed on the need to ensure that it should not become an obstacle to progress in the work of the CTS and that it should be resolved by political means, in parallel with the implementation of the Peace Agreement. 

- The parties agreed that, in the framework of the work of the CTS, it will be of high importance to decide quickly on the location of cantonment sites and to establish the Mécanisme Opérationnel de Coordination (MOC—Operational Coordination Mechanism) as soon as possible to facilitate and coordinate joint patrols between the parties.

The Force Commander of MINUSMA, who is the president of both the CTMS and the CTS, at this meeting expressed his satisfaction with the progress that has already been made.  He congratulated the parties on the constructive spirit they demonstrated in the discussions, and which clearly showed the willingness of all parties to adhere to the roadmap for the implementation of the Peace Agreement.