By Paul Lorgerie, BAMAKO Mali
United Nations
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the Security Council to authorise
additional troops for the peacekeeping mission in Mali in response to rising
violence by Islamist militants, according to a report seen by Reuters. Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres
The proposed
increase of 2,069 soldiers and police officers would take the authorised size
of the mission, known as MINUSMA, to 17,278 uniformed personnel, the largest
since it was established in 2013.
Guterres made the
proposal in a report to Security Council members that is dated July 15 but has
not yet been released publicly.
He said additional
personnel were needed to respond to Islamist militants, many tied to al Qaeda
and Islamic State, who have expanded their operations from their strongholds in
the desert north into Mali's centre and neighbouring countries.
"Scaling up
MINUSMA's uniformed personnel capacity would enhance the ability of the Mission
to protect civilians in central Mali and create further space for the peace
process in the North," Guterres said.
The additional
2,069 personnel would include 1,730 soldiers and 339 police officers. Three
quick reaction force companies, comprising 750 personnel in total, and two
helicopter units with 260 members would be created.
In central Mali,
the epicentre of the conflict in recent years, additional troops would be used
to create forward operating bases "to expand the reach and mobility of the
Mission", the report said.
Guterres said the
plan could only work in concert with stepped-up efforts by Malian authorities
to bolster security and enhance governance.
But the proposal
comes as Malian forces increasingly pull back from the hotspots in the
countryside where they have suffered steep losses, effectively ceding control
to the militants.
Former colonial
power France has also announced plans to begin drawing down its 5,100-strong
taskforce that targets the militants across West Africa's Sahel region.
Meanwhile, Mali is mired in political uncertainty after military officers in May conducted their second coup in nine months.
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