There has not been a day without armed conflict between the Mali government, the nationalist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), and various Al-Queda related Jihadist groups since 2012. The Mali War, as it is called, exacerbates the tense political situation within the Mali government, intensifies a deep humanitarian crisis, and threatens international stability in the region.
The MNLA is a militant political organization that exists in North Mali. They have held contested control of Azawad, a section of northern Mali which they claim belongs to the ethnic groups, namely the Tuareg people, who have exercised some level of political autonomy there since antiquity. In 2011, the MNLA combined forces with a terrorist group which would later be known as ama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). The two groups seized brief control of Azawad, spurring the JNIM to turn on the MNLA in favor of its own jihadist goals. France then intervened on behalf of the Mali government, and regained control of the region. This began a conflict between the JNIM, the MNLA and the Mali government that continues to this day.
The Mali government faced increasing political instability due to the war. In 2020, the government saw a military Junta. This led to a protracted crisis within the government. In response to international pressure, the junta agreed to share power with a transitional government, who they continue to have a power struggle with. This turmoil deteriorated Malian-French relations, and in 2022, French troops were ordered to leave. That same year, the Malian military began collaborating with an outside force. This is speculated to be the Wagner Group, a private Russian-based mercenary group. This correlates with a significant increase in civilian death.
The Security Council adopted resolutions 2100 (April 2013) and 2164 (June 2014), establishing the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to stabilize the Mali government. Over the next ten years, the hostility in the region made it increasingly difficult for The Mission to perform its duties to protect civilians, reestablish State authority, and rebuild the security sector. In 2023, these hostilities led MINUSMA to withdraw from the region entirely. In the year and half since the withdrawal, clashes between the separatist movements and the Malian government have grown more violent. Communities across Mali have been caught in the crossfire, with the number of civilian casualties rising.
The Security Council must work to de-escalate the violence in Mali. The Council’s task is to at least mitigate the danger to civilians, and at most to develop a program to promote a lasting peace. Within that spectrum there are goals of peace talks, re-establishment of a mission in the area, and other means to establish and maintain peace and stability.
Focus Questions
- What roles do outside nations play in the conflict? What role should they play? What role can we realistically impose on them, with the power we have?
- What concessions are we comfortable making to groups we define as terrorist groups, in the interest of public safety?
- What does it mean to “rebuild the security sector”, as resolution 2100 puts it?
Useful Links:
UNSC Resolution 2100
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/748429?v=pdf
Al Jazeera Article: ‘Callous’: Are Malian troops and Russian mercenaries attacking civilians?
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/24/callous-are-malian-troops-and-russian-mercenaries-attacking-civilians
