Mali

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government, Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset of my remarks, I would like to convey to you the warm greetings of His Excellency Colonel Assimi GOITA, President of the Transition, Head of State, as well as those of the Government and People of Mali.

I would then like to extend to you, Mr. President, the warm congratulations of the Malian delegation on your brilliant election to the presidency of the 79th session of the General Assembly. Your beautiful country, Cameroon, a brotherly and friendly African nation, maintains excellent relations with my country. You can count on Mali's full support in the successful accomplishment of your mandate.

I also take this opportunity to congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador Denis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, for the remarkable manner in which he conducted the work of the 78th session of the General Assembly.

Finally, allow me to reiterate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António GUTERRES, our encouragement to continue his efforts toward achieving the noble objectives of our common Organization.

Mr. President,

On 26 June 1945, in signing the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco, the peoples resolutely committed themselves "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind." Today, we are given the opportunity to speak on the following theme: "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the promotion of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations." Is the choice of this theme, coming 79 years after the signing of the UN Charter, purely coincidental or the result of deliberate design? We do not know. However, we must unfortunately note that the issue of preserving generations still arises with great acuity: not only future generations, but our own as well. Does this constitute a failure of the United Nations? Undoubtedly, an objective assessment, with realistic recommendations for our collective system, would be beneficial for our future.

Mr. President,

Mali welcomes the relevance of this theme, which is a burning current issue, given that the ongoing tensions and wars continue, unfortunately, to threaten international peace and security, development, and the fundamental rights of populations.

This observation comes from a country that has, since 2012, experienced a complex, multidimensional crisis that led to the loss of more than half of its territory and numerous innocent victims, following an incestuous and opportunistic alliance between terrorist groups and armed groups.

Mr. President,

Mali's tragedy dates back to the pledge of allegiance to Al-Qaida by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, the Algerian GSPC, on 11 September 2006, exacerbated by NATO's reckless military intervention in Libya in 2011. The destabilization of this brotherly country worsened the factors of insecurity in our countries, namely terrorism, trafficking of all kinds, money laundering, community conflicts manipulated by terrorists and their foreign state sponsors, and violent actions by isolated individuals.

For their part, the Malian authorities, having recognized the failure of the international forces present on their national territory since 2013, decided to take their destiny into their own hands. Thus, since 7 June 2021, following the swearing-in of His Excellency Colonel Assimi GOÏTA as President of the Transition, Head of State, a vast undertaking has begun to equip and reorganize the Defense and Security Forces, coupled with a project for the Refoundation of Mali.

The National Refoundation Conference, launched in December 2021, enabled Malians to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the causes of the crisis, and then to adopt 517 relevant recommendations.

In this regard, after having experienced an insecurity imposed by the state of nature, the observation concerning Mali is appalling: violated, humiliated, plundered and torpedoed, abandoned in mid-flight, stabbed in the back—these expressions are not exhaustive in describing the suffering endured by the Malian people and the Malian Defense and Security Forces.

Drawing on this experience and realizing that Mali's peril stemmed only from the state of nature, H.E. Colonel Assimi Goïta, President of the Transition, Head of State of Mali, found it necessary to develop a realistic vision of geopolitics, invoking a popular Bambara proverb, here freely translated and contextualized: "the succulence of one's sauce depends on the plundering of others' cattle." Thomas Hobbes, describing the state of nature in a similar vein, asserted: "man is a wolf to man." Through this proverb, which draws on gastronomy and hunting, the Head of State describes the harsh, merciless reality of international relations, and above all the place of Africa, whose plundered raw materials have served the development of others rather than that of Africans, in their great majority.

To this vision is added a direction from the Head of State calling on Malians, within the framework of the Refoundation, to "become themselves again." Indeed, on 23 April 2024, the Head of State launched the National Program for Education in Values (PNEV), which aims for "a return to the roots, without which it would be difficult to envisage a bright future for our country in its legitimate quest for sovereignty." The invitation to become ourselves again cannot avoid the question of who we are.

The immediate answer to this question is given by Mali's motto: One People—a great family, a cosmopolitan nation; One Goal—to celebrate diversity in unity, united to build the common good; One Faith—faith in what God has given as a resource for the achievement of prosperity.

To give further depth to the definition of the Malian, Professor Ibrahim Ndiaye, an expert on the Committee responsible for implementing the National Program for Education in Values, indicates that the Malian is characterized, on the one hand, by five (5) cardinal values: humaneness; empathy; the obligation to pass human values on to future generations; a sense of honor; and acceptance of difference and otherness, on the societal, human and cultural level. And on the other hand, by five (5) inviolable principles related to the country itself: an indivisible Mali; inalienable; non-mortgageable; one that no one may dispose of as private property; imperishable.

Mr. President,

By choosing to "be themselves," Malians are creating a third path: not becoming predators, faithless and lawless barbarians in search of others' cattle, and not becoming eternal, powerless victims of predation. The middle path promoted by Mali consists of achieving our development by taking a more virtuous route: ensuring respect for our sovereignty while respecting that of others; refusing heteronomy while refusing to interfere in the internal affairs of others; being open to all partnerships on a win-win basis. It is also important to note that these principles and values characterize, mutatis mutandis, the brotherly peoples of Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger.

Regarding the political Transition process in Mali, it should be recalled that, following the National Refoundation Conference, the Malian People chose to carry out political reforms before organizing elections, in order to firmly establish virtuous governance. The implementation of the Conference's recommendations has produced tangible results, notably the establishment of the Independent Authority for Election Management (AIGE); the adoption of the new Constitution on 22 July 2023, following a well-organized referendum; the completion of the territorial and administrative reorganization; the strengthening of the fight against corruption and the transparency of public action; and the revision of the mining code to make it fairer and to promote local content.

Mr. President,

Mindful of the need to sustain national unity, the foundation of all development, the Head of State announced, on 31 December 2023, the holding of the Inter-Malian Dialogue for Peace and Reconciliation, in order, as he said, "to eliminate the roots of communal and intercommunal conflicts with the ultimate goal of reconciling communities." Following a participatory and inclusive approach, the Inter-Malian Dialogue, which took place in three phases (communal, regional and national), enabled Malians both at home and in the diaspora to exchange views with full transparency, in order to find homegrown solutions for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.

Unlike the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation resulting from the Algiers process—some of whose signatory groups openly turned to terrorism, and which had become a pretext for certain States to interfere in Mali's internal affairs—the Inter-Malian Dialogue allowed Malians "to wash their dirty laundry among themselves" without any external interference. Following the end of the Algiers Agreement on 25 January 2024, today the Inter-Malian Dialogue and its recommendations, officially submitted to the Head of State on 13 May 2024, remain the sole framework for resolving internal conflicts. We reiterate our call to all Malians to embrace this dynamic of reconciliation, an essential step toward a peaceful and secure return to constitutional order, through the organization of presidential elections.

With regard to the fight against insecurity, since the Malian Defense and Security Forces launched offensive operations autonomously, numerous successes have been achieved on the ground in the fight against terrorism; all regions have been retaken from terrorist groups, notably the region of Kidal, on 14 November 2023, following a memorable military operation.

Today, terrorist groups have been seriously weakened, and the Defense and Security Forces are deployed throughout the entire national territory. Furthermore, our forces' offensive operations continue in order to dismantle residual terrorist networks.

The Government of Mali remains aware that a purely security-based response has its limits. This is why, in support of military action, the Government of Mali has adopted a comprehensive and integrated strategy aimed at restoring State authority throughout the national territory. It includes political and administrative measures, economic and social development, including dialogue with armed groups and the provision of basic social services to our populations.

Despite these highly commendable results, these criminal groups still retain a certain capacity to cause harm in their desperate attempts to undermine our territorial integrity and terrorize our populations, with—and I must deplore this from this podium—the support of foreign state sponsors.

Foreign state sponsors! After years of denouncing these state actors that support international terrorism, the Ukrainian authorities openly and unprecedentedly violated the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the relevant United Nations conventions and resolutions on the prevention of and fight against terrorism, when officials of that country, confusing the international stage with a theater stage, admitted their country's active participation in the cowardly terrorist attack targeting a patrol of the Defense and Security Forces from 24 to 26 July 2024 in Tinzawatène, in the region of Kidal.

Mr. President,

Given the complexity of the situation in the Sahel, and motivated solely by their desire to take the destiny of their countries into their own hands, Their Excellencies Captain Ibrahim TRAORE, President of Faso, Head of State of Burkina Faso; Colonel Assimi GOITA, President of the Transition, Head of State of Mali; and Brigadier General Abdourahamane TIANI, President of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Head of State of Niger, first established the Alliance of Sahel States: a collective defense and mutual assistance architecture for the fight against terrorism, by signing the Liptako-Gourma Charter on 16 September 2023. Ten (10) months later, precisely on 6 July 2024, the founding fathers of the AES sovereignly decided to transform this mechanism into a Confederation centered on three pillars: Diplomacy, Defense and Development, with the eventual goal of forming a Federation. In such a short time, remarkable results have been achieved in the fight against terrorism, thanks to the pooling of defense resources, jointly conducted military operations, and an unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism.

This is why the Member States of the Confederation of Sahel States sent, on 19 August 2024, a joint letter to the United Nations Security Council to: denounce the Ukrainian authorities' support for international terrorism; condemn the aggression against Mali; and request that the Security Council take appropriate measures against the Ukrainian authorities.

Incidentally, allow me to recall that this new letter comes while Mali is still awaiting a response to a previous letter referred to the United Nations Security Council, dated 15 August 2022, exposing acts of French aggression against it as well as France's involvement in promoting three forms of terrorism in the Sahel: armed terrorism, economic terrorism and media terrorism.

Covering an area of 2,758,000 km², with 71 million inhabitants, mostly young, exceptional economic potential, and a subsoil rich in nearly all the elements of the periodic table, the distinctiveness of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) lies in the mindset of the Heads of State, the Peoples, and the Defense and Security Forces of the Confederation—strong in their dignity and honor; more motivated than ever by the blood of their own cowardly shed; determined to combat terrorism in all its forms and to honor the memory of the victims, both civilian and military, Sahelian and foreign, of this barbarity; determined to defend the integrity of their land and to ensure their prosperity peacefully, as stipulated in the preamble of the Liptako-Gourma Charter, which refers to several international organizations, notably ECOWAS, and to universal values.

To the "war-mongers" and merchants of chaos: with God's help, we shall triumph, again and always, over your deadly and diabolical schemes.

Curiously, since the creation of the AES, we have been surprised by the fierce hostility with which it has been received, particularly by certain ECOWAS officials taking orders from imperialist and neocolonial entities. The rest of the story is well known! As Amadou Hampâté Ba said, "if you try too hard to throw away a frog you find disgusting, it ends up falling into a good pond."

The Confederation of Sahel States is open to all investors, provided that the partnership benefits the Sahelian populations and that the sovereignty of States is respected.

Mr. President,

This is an opportunity for me to commend the exemplary and fruitful cooperative relations between Mali and Russia, China, Türkiye, Iran, and many other sincere allies. Mali remains open to all partners wishing to help it meet its many challenges. In this regard, I reaffirm that the Government of Mali remains willing to continue and strengthen its cooperation with the UN, particularly through the agencies, funds and programs with which we maintain excellent cooperative relations.

We also take this opportunity to salute and recognize the wisdom of His Excellency Mr. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. On 29 August 2024, during a tour of southern Algeria, you declared that Libya, Niger and Mali are brotherly nations that you would support rather than harm. The Malian people were not surprised by these remarks, which eloquently reflect your pan-Africanism, following in the footsteps of your illustrious predecessors, including the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, affectionately called "Abdelkader Mali" following his time in Gao, and the commitment of the Malian authorities, through the following actions: offering Malian territory as a rear base for the Moudjahidine, thus opening a southern front; participating in armed confrontations against the French colonizer, deploying Malian fighters alongside the Moudjahidine on Algerian territory to defend the freedom and dignity of Algerians; and defending the Algerian cause in all diplomatic forums, until they regained their independence.

However, it is our duty to draw your close attention to the incongruous remarks of two (2) of your colleagues, which run counter to your wish to promote harmonious relations with your neighbors, including Mali.

On 31 July 2024, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs declared that the Malian crisis did not need a "military solution." "It is a conflict between brothers. The solution can only be political." Regarding the Algiers Agreement, he stated that it had been beneficial for Mali and had preserved Mali's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Abandoning it, he said, would consequently have a negative impact on all the "gains achieved."

Furthermore, on 26 August 2024, your Permanent Representative to the United Nations stated: "... this morning I learned from the media that a drone carried out a strike in northern Mali killing about twenty civilians; those who press the trigger of this drone are accountable to no one for these strikes..."

Analyzing the first statement, we note a serious interference in Mali's internal affairs. Indeed, the nature of the solution implemented by the Malian authorities concerns only Malians. Since the end of the Algiers Agreement on 25 January 2024, Malians have expressed only one wish regarding it: may its soul rest in peace! Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Agreement is well and truly dead; your incantations will not bring it back to life. You give me the opportunity, on the one hand, to reiterate to you that no one can love Mali more than Malians, and on the other hand, to remind you that Mali and its people will not be mere spectators in the face of assaults and adversity: for every word misused, we will respond in kind; for every bullet fired at us, we will respond in kind. Let those who understand take heed—too bad for those who don't!

As for the Algerian Permanent Representative, in addition to offering "room and board"—no doubt with delicious dishes of chekchouka and chorba—to terrorists and renegades on the run, his role as a disoriented errand-runner does little to promote good-neighborly relations.

His remarks contain serious and unfounded accusations: on the one hand, characterizing the civilian nature of the victims based on media reports is reckless and defamatory; and on the other hand, by asserting that drone operators are accountable to no one, he is fueling a disinformation campaign against Mali, while also suggesting that the valiant Malian Defense and Security Forces would be incapable of piloting drones.

I am pleased to recall here that the buildup of the FAMA's capabilities is not a figment of the imagination but a tangible reality that has enabled the recovery of control over the entire national territory. Regarding the use of drones, the operators are indeed Malians who act with professionalism, like the rest of the Malian Defense and Security Forces, and who engage terrorist targets according to procedures that comply with international standards. As a reminder, a few years ago, those exploiting human rights issues, determined to tarnish the counter-terrorism performance of the Algerian national army, raised the subversive question of "Who is killing whom?" Today, we are troubled that the Algerian Permanent Representative has joined this manipulative human-rights trend in order to attack the Malian Army.

Mali demands that these two (2) diplomatic troublemakers stop walking backwards into history. Clearly, they are ignorant both of the history between the brotherly peoples of Mali and Algeria—including Mali's exceptional contribution to the Algerian war of liberation—and, apparently, of geography as well, since they wrongly consider Mali to be a wilaya, that is, an Algerian province.

Mr. President,

Regarding the regional and international situation, Mali remains very attentive to ongoing developments in Africa and the rest of the world.

We are thus concerned about the level of violence in the Middle East, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Malian people reaffirm their support for the brotherly Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle for self-determination. The Government of Mali reiterates its support for the two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within safe and internationally recognized borders. We unreservedly condemn the indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli army against Palestinians.

On the humanitarian front, Mali is concerned about the precarious situation of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons around the world, due to armed conflicts, natural disasters and climate change. At this moment, my thoughts go especially to my compatriots who are refugees in neighboring countries, which I thank for their hospitality and generosity. I would like to assure them that the Malian Government will spare no effort to continue assisting them and to create the conditions that will allow them to return with dignity and in complete safety to their places of origin.

The many challenges to international peace and security call for reform of the dedicated United Nations architecture. In the same vein, Mali continues to advocate for the reform of global political, economic and financial governance in order to create optimal and fair conditions for the development of our countries. In this spirit, Mali continues to advocate for the reform of international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Likewise, we welcome credible alternative models such as the BRICS.

Climate change also constitutes a real threat to present and future generations. We must have the courage to move beyond the prevailing dogmatism and narrow interests surrounding this issue. In this regard, the time has come to effectively implement the decisions of our Summits and our COPs. It is necessary for the countries responsible for global warming to assume their full responsibilities, including that of supporting the efforts of countries of the South toward environmentally sound development.

Mr. President,

In closing, I would like to note that this 79th session of the General Assembly is taking place in a context of immense challenges for our States and our multilateral institutions: international peace and security have never been so threatened since the two World Wars, including by international terrorism and violent extremism. In such a context, it will be difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 in terms of education, health, access to clean water, energy and justice.

Nevertheless, despite these vicissitudes, Mali remains willing to play its full part in implementing its national and international commitments, while retaining a measure of hope for the future.

May God bless Mali and protect Malians from the world's obscurantist and destructive forces!

May God bless the Confederation of Sahel States and protect the Sahelian populations from the world's obscurantist and destructive forces!

May God bless Africa and protect Africans from the world's obscurantist and destructive forces!

May God bless the world and protect all of humanity from the world's obscurantist and destructive forces!

Thank you for your very kind attention.