Communique: The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 316th meeting held on 3 April 2012, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Republic of Mali

AFRICAN UNION

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PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 316™ MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

3 APRIL 2012

PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCXVI)

COMMUNIQUE

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COMMUNIQUE

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 316^th meeting held on 3 April 2012, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Republic of Mali:

Council,

1. Takes note of the briefing provided by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, and the statement made by the representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the evolving situation in Mali;

2. Recalls its Communiques PSC/MIN/Comm.(CCCXIV) and PSC/PR/COMM(CCCXV) adopted at its 314^th and 315^th meetings held on 20 and 23 March 2012, respectively;

3. Reaffirms the unwavering commitment of the AU and all its Member States to the national unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Mali, and the determination of Africa to spare no effort to ensure their preservation. Council also reaffirms the relevant AU instruments, particularly the Algiers Decision and the Lome Declaration, and the provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which reject any unconstitutional change of Government, including seizure of power by force;

4. Recalls the strong condemnation by the AU of the coup d'etat which took place in Mali on 22 March 2012, as well as the need to restore constitutional order and ensure the resumption of the normal functioning of the republican institutions. Council notes that this coup d'etat, which constitutes a serious setback for Mali and Africa, has severely weakened Mali and undermined its national cohesion at a time when the country is facing rebellion by armed groups in the northern part of its national territory;

5. Reiterates AU's support to the efforts of ECOWAS for the preservation and respect of the national unity and territorial integrity of Mali, as well as the return to constitutional order in the country, in pursuance of the communique issued at the end of the 40^th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, held in Abuja on 16 and 17 February 2012, the Extraordinary Summit held in Abidjan on 27 March 2012, the meeting of the delegation of the six Heads of State of ECOWAS held in Abidjan on 29 March 2012, and the Extraordinary Session held in Dakar on 2 April 2012;

6. Rejects all delaying tactics of the perpetrators of the coup d'etat, and demands the restoration, without further delay, of constitutional order and the resumption of the normal functioning of the republican institutions on the basis of the relevant provisions of the Malian Constitution;

7. Decides, in view of the refusal of the military junta to respond immediately and in good faith to the requests of the AU and ECOWAS, to impose, with immediate effect, individual measures, including travel ban and asset freeze, against the leader and members of the junta, as well as against all individuals and entities contributing, in one way or another, to the maintenance of the unconstitutional status quo and impeding AU and

ECOWAS efforts. Council requests the Commission, in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, to establish the list of the individuals and entities concerned, for immediate transmission to all AU Member States and partners. Council holds the members of the junta personally and collectively responsible for the actions that they have taken, as well as for the security and safety of all political personalities, including the legitimate President, Amadou Toumani Toure, and other opponents to the coup d'etat arrested since the unconstitutional change of 22 March 2012. Council recalls that, in pursuance of Article 25 (5) of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the perpetrators of unconstitutional change of government are liable to prosecution;

8. Expresses its full support for the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, in pursuance of its communiques of 27 and 29 March 2012. Council requests the Commission, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, to facilitate the effective implementation of these sanctions, so that they quickly generate the desired effect on the junta and its supporters, while seeking to minimize their impact on the civilian population, and to develop implementation guidelines, including provisions relating to humanitarian assistance;

9. Reiterates the strong condemnation by the AU of the attacks perpetrated by armed groups in collaboration with terrorist groups, including the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), and transnational criminal networks against the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali, as well as the abuses committed against civilians in the different localities occupied by these armed groups. Council rejects the use of force by the said groups, and declares null and of no value all the consequences that the armed groups concerned aim to draw from the occupation of a part of the Malian territory and the announcements made or to be made in this respect;

10. Calls on the Commission, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, the core countries and the Algiers-based African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, to develop, within one month, the list of all terrorist and other armed groups operating in conjunction with them on the territory of the Republic of Mali, for their inclusion in the AU's list of terrorist groups;

11. Emphasizes the need to put an immediate end to the attacks by the rebel movements in the north of the country, to restore the authority of the Government of Mali on its entire territory and to facilitate the search for a lasting solution to any legitimate claim, on the basis of strict respect for the national unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Mali. In this regard, Council endorses the decision of ECOWAS to activate the planning process for the possible deployment of elements of its Standby Brigade to assist in protecting the unity and territorial integrity of Mali, and requests the Commission to extend the necessary support to the ECOWAS initiative, including through the provision of planning personnel. Council calls upon all Member States and AU partners to provide the financial, logistical and other necessary support to ECOWAS's efforts;

12. Calls upon countries in the region, particularly those of ECOWAS and the core countries, and to all other States to do everything possible to prevent any flow of arms and fighters for the armed and terrorist groups operating in the northern part of Mali. In this respect, Council requests the Commission, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission

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and neighboring countries, to establish the required mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of this measure. Council also decides to apply the individual sanctions mentioned in paragraph 7 of this communique to the leaders and members of armed groups involved in the attacks in northern Mali and in atrocities against the civilian population. Council requests the Commission, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, to establish and disseminate to Member States and AU partners the list of such individuals;

13. Strongly appeals to all AU bilateral and multilateral partners to support all the measures adopted by the AU and ECOWAS and contribute to their effective implementation and, in this regard, requests the Chairperson of the Commission to take all measures and initiatives he deems appropriate;

14. Recalls the provisions of paragraph 7 of communique PSC/MIN/Comm.(CCCXIV), requesting the Chairperson of the Commission to determine with the actors concerned the modalities for the implementation of a mediation process and the promotion of the required synergies to facilitate the settlement of the crisis in northern Mali, by addressing the root causes of the conflict in order to reach an agreement between the parties. In this regard, Council welcomes the ECOWAS decision to appoint President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso as a Mediator in the crisis in Mali, and requests the Chairperson of the Commission to continue and intensify the consultations undertaken both with ECOWAS and the core countries, within the framework of paragraph 7 of communique PSC/MI N/Com m. (CCCXIV);

15. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to expedite his consultations with ECOWAS, the core countries and the UN for the urgent convening in the region of a meeting of the Support and Follow-up Group established in pursuance of paragraph 7 of communique PSC/MIN/Comm.(CCCXIV) and whose mandate was extended to cover the issue of the return to constitutional order, in accordance with paragraph 12 of PSC/PR/Comm.(CCCXV), to enhance the effectiveness of collective African action, as well as mobilize and coordinate support from the international community at large to the AU and ECOWAS efforts on the situation in Mali;

16. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to forward this communique to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and other AU bilateral and multilateral partners for their information and appropriate action;

17. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.