Mali

The year 2023 was marked by the withdrawal of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), including the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), at the request of the Transition Government. UNMAS was entirely funded through MINUSMA Assessed Budget and its mandate was contingent on it. Its departure after ten years as the lead agency for mine action in Mali caused mine action projects and associated funding to be cancelled. The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) is no longer in use and the technical support provided by UNMAS ceased. Discussions were, though, held with the Malian authorities about a possible return whereby UNMAS would support the national authorities rather than function as a coordination lead.

In 2024, fFor the first time since 2005, Mali submitted an Article 7 report to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) covering the period May 2023 to April 2024. It highlighted that Mali is contaminated by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), landmines, and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and indicated that a national mine action authority would be set up to address the problem. National Technical Standards and Guidelines for non-technical survey (NTS) were approved. The ongoing armed conflict is clearly hampering efforts to construct a functioning mine action programme, including the conduct of survey and assessment of mined areas.

Despite the government agreeing in principle several years past to establish a national mine action authority (NMAA) within the National Commission in charge of fighting against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (CNLPAL – Commission Nationale de Lutte Contre la Prolifération des Armes Légères et de Petits Calibres), this has not happened. The two military coups d’état in 2020 and 2021, followed by a reshuffling of Mali’s regional and international alliances, resulted in the departure of MINUSMA in 2023. The Malian authorities have now formally declared their intention to create an NMAA in its recent Article 7 report. Until now, the CNLPAL has lacked clear mandate, resource and capacity.

Over the past five years, Mali has been experiencing multiple armed conflicts, with a gradual expansion of the explosive threat from the centre towards the south and west regions of the country and an increased number of victims of explosive ordnance, many of whom are civilians. Non-State armed groups (NSAGs) have been using IEDs, especially improvised anti-vehicle (AV) mines placed on roads, targeting the Malian armed forces and allies. Since MINUSMA’s withdrawal, clearance is the sole prerogative of the Malian army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. Humanitarian actors are confined to explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) and victim assistance.

• Mali should seek a new Article 5 deadline in order to return to compliance with the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC).
• Mali should proceed with setting up the NMAA and a national structure to coordinate mine action operations.
• Mali should resume its IMSMA database and ensure systematic collection of data and reporting on explosive ordnance incidents and casualties, disaggregating AP mines of an improvised nature from other types of improvised explosive devices.
• When circumstances allow, Mali should develop a civilian mine clearance capacity in addition to the military counter-IED operations.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2024" report for Mali.