UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix [official profile] described the security situation in Mali as “alarming” during his first briefing [materials] on Thursday. While acknowledging the progress resulting since the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali [text, PDF] was signed, Lacroix stated that Mali requires continued support from the international community, including potential changes to UN operations in the country, to overcome increased terrorism. Lacroix specifically pointed to the finding that terrorist groups have been integrating under a new alliance created under the Al-Qaeda banner while IS from Iraq and the Levant have also been gaining ground in Mali. Representatives from many countries voiced similar concerns about Mali and agreed with Lacroix that a sanctions regime targeting drug trafficking or those hindering the implementation of the peace agreement could be a viable option in improving the security situation. But Russia’s representative warned that stability in Mali cannot be achieved without first resolving the situation in Libya, pointing out that radicals started appearing in Mali only after the destabilization of neighboring Libya.

Last month the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali urged [JURIST report] the international community to help protect civilians in the northern and central regions of the country amid growing violence and crime sprees. The Mali crisis [BBC backgrounder] began in 2012 after a military coup was stage. The five primary Islamist rebel groups involved in the crisis are Ansar Dine, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Signed-in-Blood Battalion and the Islamic Movement for Azawad (IMA). Mujao quickly captured the northern region of Mali, an area known for its drug production. This prompted a French military offensive in January of 2013 to drive the militants out of the region. Another rebel group, known as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), lent their support to French troops in 2013 and declared the northern region of the country the independent nation of Azawad. The rebel groups signed a peace treaty [Al Jazeera report] with the Malian government in June 2015.