UNSC welcomes Mali peace agreement

The members of the United Nations Security Council welcomed the peace and reconciliation accord between the Malian Government, armed groups and an international mediation team in what the body described as an "historic opportunity" for resolving the African country’s ongoing political and security crisis.

In a press statement, Council members said the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation, initialed by representatives of the Government and a coalition of armed groups, known as Platform, on 1 March was "a critical step to achieving lasting peace" in the conflict-ridden country and urged other armed groups to follow suit.

"The members of the Security Council encouraged the parties to seize this historic opportunity and to continue to engage constructively with sustained political will and in good faith, supported by the members of the international mediation team, to sign this agreement as soon as possible and commit to its effective, complete and sincere implementation, through the further development of implementation modalities and timelines," the statement read.

Moreover, it said that the Council members underscored the need for "clear, detailed and concrete oversight mechanisms" for the agreement’s future implementation, adding that it would have to be "Malian-led and Malian-owned." Meanwhile, the members of the Security Council expressed their "deep concern over the volatile security situation" and reiterated their demand that all parties refrain from any action that would jeopardize the prospects for peace.