III. The Mali peace process and the 2015 peace agreement

Chapter:

5. The implementation of the peace process in Mali: a complex case of peacebuilding

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2016

Author(s):

Elisabeth Sköns

Mali faces a number of challenges in its ongoing peace process to address the political and security crisis that began in 2012. These include the political armed conflict in the northern regions of the country, poor governance, violent extremism and transnational organized crime perpetrated by extremist Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mouvement pour l’Unicité et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO) (see section II). Three key steps in the peace process have been: (a) the installation in April 2012 of an interim government that ensured the country’s leadership until August 2013; (b) the conclusion on 18 June 2013 of a preliminary peace agreement that enabled the holding of free and transparent elections leading to a new legitimate government; and (c) the negotiation of a comprehensive peace agreement that was officially endorsed by the parties to the political conflict on 15 May and 20 June 2015. This section examines how and to what extent these steps have contributed to addressing the root causes of the conflict and some of the other challenges hindering peace and security in Mali.