Guterres: “The Algiers Agreement is the best framework for building lasting peace in Mali”

According to the quarterly report on the situation in Mali, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on Mali’s military council to speed up the transition to a constitutional order, stressing that the “Algiers Agreement” is the best framework for “building a lasting peace in Mali”.
Radio France International quoted a 30 March report by the UN Secretary-General, in which Antonio Guterres referred to the 2015 Algiers Agreement, signed between the central government in Bamako and the Azawad movements, and expressed his concern about its implementation, speaking of a “stalemate” or “continued paralysis” of the agreement.
Guterres warned that the Algiers Agreement remains the “best framework” for building a lasting peace, especially in light of the continuing escalation of violence, particularly in north-eastern Mali, and also spoke of Algerian mediation efforts between the two parties to the conflict.
It must be recalled that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in a report to the Security Council, had previously praised the personal commitment of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to the promotion of peace and stability in the Republic of Mali.
In particular, he mentioned that President Tebboune had received successive delegations in January and February representing all the parties to the Algiers Agreement, the Government and the politico-military movements.
In the light of these developments, the UN Secretary-General commended Algeria’s leadership in its dual role as leader of the international mediation and chair of the Agreement’s Follow-up Committee, and highlighted its initiatives to overcome the current impasse in the process of implementing the Agreement, which, in his view, remains the best instrument for promoting lasting peace and reconciliation in Mali.
This week, the international mediation in Mali presented the signatories to the peace agreement with concrete proposals aimed at resuming the implementation of the peace and reconciliation agreement stemming from the Algiers process.
According to a statement by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), 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 encourage the resumption of constructive dialogue under the auspices of the Agreement Follow-up Committee chaired by Algeria.
On the other hand, Guterres called on “the military council 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 establishment of an independent body to manage elections”.
But the indefinite postponement of the date of the referendum on the constitution is of concern to Guterres, who stressed that the military council is committed to a timetable that includes holding free elections early next year.