Discurso do Encarregado de Negócios (Chargé D'Affaires), Embaixador João Genésio de Almeida Filho, em reunião do Conselho de Segurança sobre a Situação no Mali (MINUSMA) - 16 de junho de 2023 (texto em inglês)

Madam President,

My delegation thanks SRSG Wane for his comprehensive briefing and welcomes to this meeting Minister Diop.

We received with dismay the news of the terrorist attacks against MINUSMA in Ber, on June 9^th. We regret the casualties of two peacekeepers from Burkina Faso and offer our sincere condolences and solidarity to the government of that country, to the families of the victims as well as to MINUSMA.

Brazil reiterates once more its firm condemnation of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations. There is no justification for such acts. The security situation in Mali remains unstable and continues to take a heavy toll not just on MINUSMA but also on civilians. Although the numbers improved slightly in that respect, we must renew our efforts to protect the most vulnerable.

In order to carry out that task effectively, it is essential to ensure MINUSMA’s freedom of movement. In that vein, we regret that no solution for the resumption of unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights has been reached yet, despite the fact that MINUSMA adopted the measures agreed with the Malian transition government. The safety and security of peacekeepers should be a top priority. We call on the Malian authorities to work with MINUSMA on the review of the procedure for drone ISR flights, as well as on the lifting of ground movement restrictions.

The Council has just started discussions on the renewal of MINUSMA’s mandate. My delegation believes it is crucial to ensure that the Mission is duly equipped to support the implementation of the Peace agreement and the political transition, as well as to protect civilians and support the restoration of the Malian State authority across the country.

Madam President,

Regional cooperation is a key factor to help Mali pave the way towards a successful transition process. In this regard, Brazil reiterates its support to the current engagement with ECOWAS and hopes that the dialogue with the Malian transitional authorities will lead to further collaboration on the development and implementation of a transition plan conducive to the restoration of constitutional order.

As we pointed out in previous discussions with regard to the drafting of a new constitution, the return to democratic normalcy is a collective endeavor, which must include women, youth, and ethnic and religious minorities. We hope the efforts of the Malian authorities to add more voices to that exercise will reflect on a more inclusive and peaceful constitutional referendum on June 18^th .

In addition, we welcome the ongoing cooperation between MINUSMA and l’Autorité Indépendante de Gestion des Elections (AIGE) with a view to coordinating the technical and logistical support for the elections and the provision of capacity building to civil society organisations on gender promotion in electoral processes, just to name a couple of examples. These are encouraging concrete steps towards more inclusivity and participation in the polls.

Madam President,

While the aforementioned developments on the transition process and constitutional reforms are commendable, they are not sufficient to the lay the ground for durable peace without the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. Therefore, we wish to voice our support to the leadership of Algeria in the mediation process to overcome the present impasse and urge all Malian political forces to remain engaged in dialogue and redouble efforts aiming at the full implementation of the peace agreement.

Before I conclude, and in view of the dire humanitarian situation, my delegation would like to seize this opportunity to underscore one more time the need to address the root causes of conflict. This notion should be at the core of our work throughout the mandate renewal talks.

And I thank you, Madam President.