Operation Barkhane

A Wedding Party Hit By French Forces in Mali Killed Mostly Civilians, UN Report Says

March 31, 2021

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — From above, the photographs show a stretch of charred land in the middle of the desert and a mass grave covered in dried tree branches, where people living around Bounti, a village in central Mali, said those who had been killed by French airstrikes were buried. On the ground were …

Africa, Human Rights, Peace and Security, Secretary-General, Security Council

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UN Probe Details Atrocities in Mali and Civilian Deaths From French Airstrikes

February 8, 2021

by Clair MacDougall

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — A recent United Nations investigation has documented years of grave human-rights violations, including war crimes and other atrocities, in Mali that have gone unpunished as the UN peacekeeping mission there struggles to stabilize the troubled West African nation. A highly detailed, 336-page report on the abuses, obtained in full by …

Africa, Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations

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A Survey on Mali for Malians: What They Want for Their Country

June 24, 2019

by Dulcie Leimbach

Since 2012, a German political think tank has surveyed Malians regularly on their country’s current affairs across a legion of crises. These include the 2013 jihadist incursion in the nation, the French-led militarization to oust the jihadists, the post-conflict stabilization work done by the United Nations and a new cycle of intercommunal violence erupting …

Africa, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

Can the G5 Force Work Counterterrorism Magic in Africa’s Sahel Region?

June 15, 2017

by Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde

Although the plan to deploy a West African troop contingent, called the G5 Sahel Joint Force, presents an opportunity to improve much-needed cooperation among the Sahel countries, it will not be a game-changer in the fight against the persistent security challenges in the region. Yet, without adequate financial and logistical support from the United …

Africa, Terrorism, WORLDVIEWS

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As Terrorist Threats Rise in Mali, the Dutch Slowly Pull Out of Peacekeeping

November 10, 2016

by Julie Vanderperre

The Dutch contingent of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is withdrawing its seven helicopters from the operation by spring, leaving a wide hole in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering for the mission that desperately needs those assets. With no immediate supplier for replacement helicopters in sight, the withdrawal presents an additional strain on the …

Africa, Peace and Security, UN Peacekeeping

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Snakes, Scorpions and Red Tape: Europeans Adjust to the UN Mission in Mali

February 11, 2016

by Dulcie Leimbach

Since its rollout in 2013, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali has been actively recruiting more European troops to strengthen its ranks of police, military and civilian personnel from African and Asian countries, typical sources for UN missions. The mission’s main mandate is to protect civilians, stabilize the country and carry out a …

Africa, Terrorism, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations

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Attacks in West Africa Show Regional Security Reliance on France and US

February 9, 2016

by Nabila El Hadad

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — It was about 7:30 p.m. when the meeting began on the fourth floor of the Splendid Hotel here on Jan. 15 in this capital city. Fourteen people were gathered to discuss the launching of a humanitarian association, with a Burkina government minister present. Phones were put in silent mode. While …

Africa, Terrorism

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The UN’s Mission in Mali: A Deadly Fight Against Terrorists

January 18, 2015

by Dulcie Leimbach

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, the most demanding and bloodiest operation in the organization’s global portfolio, is moving its major functions from its base in Bamako, the capital, to Gao, a remote city also on the Niger River, and other camps in the north. The goal is to keep a vigilant eye …

Africa, Libya, Peace and Security, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations

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UN Peacekeeping Upgrades Its Reactions to Conflicts and Adds Surveillance Tools

November 11, 2014

by Barbara Crossette

By the time United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named a panel in October to review peacekeeping comprehensively for the first time in more than 14 years, innovations in technology and intelligence-gathering to make UN missions more effective had already been introduced by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The strategic and tactical changes, some …