The African Union (AU) is proposing the establishment of a brigade within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to tackle the spread of terrorism and criminal groups in the West African country, the AU commissioner for peace and security, Ambassador Smail Chergui told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2018) The African Union (AU) is proposing the establishment of a brigade within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to tackle the spread of terrorism and criminal groups in the West African country, the AU commissioner for peace and security, Ambassador Smail Chergui told Sputnik.
"So I think it's time maybe to consider or reconsider such an option, which has been proposed by countries of the region, and which consists in reconfiguring MINUSMA using its current capabilities, without any surge in the force, but having a brigade within what is authorized by the Security Council, with a specific mandate to deal with issues of terrorism and transnational criminal networks," Chergui said.
MINUSMA was established in April 2013 to carry out security-related tasks in Mali. As of October 2018, the number of the mission's personnel deployed in Mali reached 15,469.
The African Union, headquartered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is a continental union comprised of 55 member states, which aims to achieve regional integration and increase solidarity among African countries.
