Wednesday, March 13, 2013

France, allies want rapid-response force for Mali U.N. mission

By John Irish and Michelle Nichols

PARIS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France and its African allies want a heavily armed force able to counter any resurgent Islamist threat in Mali as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, diplomats said.

The United Nations is considering setting up a 10,000-strong force in the former French colony before presidential and legislative elections in July, a deadline a European diplomat described on Tuesday as "a race against time".

U.N. deputy peacekeeping chief Edmond Mulet is in the Malian capital Bamako this week to assess options for a peacekeeping mission once a French-led military intervention that began two months ago is completed.

A heavily armed rapid-reaction force, similar to the unit proposed for a U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, would be a departure from its typically more passive peacekeeper operations.

In practical terms, U.N. diplomats say, troops in the rapid-response force would have more freedom to open fire without being required to wait until they are attacked first, a limitation that is standard for U.N. peacekeepers deployed around the world.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to deliver a report to the Security Council with peacekeeping recommendations for Mali by the end of the month, and diplomats hope a vote could take place by mid-April.

"The discussion so far in the council shows that a consensus is there (for a peacekeeping mission)," said a senior U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Diplomats said the vote hinged on the security situation.

France launched a ground and air operation in January to break Islamist rebels' hold on the northern two-thirds of Mali, saying the militants posed a risk to the security of West Africa and Europe.

French and Chadian troops are engaged in heavy fighting in northeast Mali, where Islamist militants have taken refuge, and hope to secure the region by the end of the month.

Paris then wants to start winding down its 4,000 troops with a view to handing over to the African force, AFISMA, that would later fall under the U.N. peacekeeping mandate.

AFISMA comprises about 6,000 troops, mainly from West Africa, including more than 2,000 Chadians. Other than Chad's contingent, most African elements remain in the south of Mali away from the fighting.

"We'd like to see the non-Chadians go north to Gao and Timbuktu so that the focus can be on the final phase in the extreme north," the European diplomat said.

"After that, we're talking about a peacekeeping force of 10,000 soldiers."

RAPID INTERVENTION FORCE

However, there are fears that militants could launch a guerrilla-style insurgency marked by suicide attacks and hit-and-run raids on towns, leaving the U.N. force exposed.

A rapid-reaction force to counter this threat could retain battle-hardened Chadian troops, but also include elements from new forces such as Burundi, which has played a key role in fighting Islamists in Somalia.

France's role in that framework has yet to be defined, but diplomats say talks centre on French elements being based either in Mali or elsewhere in the region and intervening if needed.

"It would be under French control, but approved by the United Nations," said the European diplomat.

Financing is also an issue. About $450 million in donations pledged last month in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to fund African and Malian troop operations have failed to materialise, leaving a burden on AFISMA countries, diplomats said.

Once the Security Council authorises the deployment of a peacekeeping mission - which would take at least two months - the U.N. would equip, finance and support most of the troops and give them human rights training, the U.N. official said.

(Writing by John Irish; Editing by Erica Billingham)

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News

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

France, allies want rapid-response force for Mali U.N. mission

By John Irish and Michelle Nichols