MINUSMA First Act (2013–2015): “Multilateralizing” a French-African Intervention

The first act of MINUSMA takes place under a unanimous Security Council behind France as penholder, which supports the operation in the wake of its Operation Serval and thus seeks to “multilateralize” and legitimize its military intervention in the country. France had little difficulty in convincing the Security Council in New York of the need for a peacekeeping operation, even if some member states already voiced concern that it may not be the right response to the multidimensional crisis facing Mali. The participation of Chinese and Western contingents, as well as the United States support to MINUSMA, boosted member state interest in the mission despite the reluctance of certain traditional troop-contributing countries to using the peacekeeping tool in a context affected by terrorism. Frictions however emerge with the African Union (AU) which would have preferred the continuation of an African counterterrorist operation financed under the UN assessed budget. Although the Malian transition government had formally consented to the deployment of peacekeepers, the new elected government quickly marginalized MINUSMA and try to use it to its advantage to “restore the authority” of the state on the whole territory. The peacekeepers became the target of terrorist attacks, but the UN mission nonetheless manage to continue playing a political role in accompanying the Algeria-led peace process toward the signing of the June 2015 peace agreement.