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Context

At the beginning of 2012, Mali experienced an unprecedented political and security crisis. Since then, some steps have been taken to stabilize the country and restore peace, most notably through the signature of the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement. However, the security and stability of Mali remain of concern, and the violence has since spread to other regions of the country. A plethora of internal and external actors influence conflict dynamics in the country today – and the presence of different armed groups continues to be a major destabilizing factor. National and international armed forces, including a large UN Peacekeeping mission, still struggle to protect civilians; national and international efforts do not seem sufficient to restore peace, as conflicts, mistrust and violence continue to rise. It is largely admitted that significant efforts are still required to address the structural problems that triggered the 2012 crisis, as well as the subsequent conflict and multi-dimensional violence that we see in Mali today.

In 2013, Interpeace and its partner, the Institut Malien de Recherche Action pour la Paix (IMRAP), conducted a national dialogue and research process to identify obstacles to and priorities for peacebuilding. More than 5,000 Malians were consulted in the eight regions of the country and refugee camps in Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger, resulting in the report “Auto-portrait of Mali”. Four major obstacles and priorities for peace were identified: the erosion of societal values, poor access to employment for youth, failure of governance and chronic insecurity. While the results are key to Interpeace’s work in the country, the country-wide dialogue process that began in 2013 defined the path forward for our work in Mali.

Goal


We aim to promote and achieve participatory and inclusive dialogue, particularly aimed at defining community-led actions to restore trust and collaboration between communities, authorities as well as security and defence actors. We also aim to support and inform the international community of community conflict dynamics, leading to more peace responsive programming and approaches. Our work is based on deep-rooted understanding of systemic conflict dynamics participatory and inclusive approaches to peacebuilding.

Initiatives

Supporting the inclusive and participatory implementation of the Peace Agreement

The Mixed Patrols, better known as the Mécanisme Opérationnel de Coordination (MOC) are an armed body formed by former combatants from the three signatories of the peace agreement: the CMA, Plateforme and the Malian state/army. Their primary mandate is to protect Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR) sites, as part of the implementation of the 2015 Peace Agreement. The MOC are oft...
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Promoting conflict sensitive programming

Interpeace has become the main point of reference in Mali regarding conflict sensitive programming. Interpeace’s Advisory Team (IPAT) with Canada, through the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program, trained MINUSMA staff in a context of a growing pressure on international actors in Mali to adapt its programming to be more conflict sensitive. The training on conflict sensitivity is also done...
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Transforming peacebuilding in Mali through innovative partnership models and methodologies

Since the publication of the “Auto-portrait of Mali”, Interpeace and IMRAP have been leading processes as a means of enhancing and strengthening dialogue, reconciliation and social cohesion within communities, based on priorities set by Malians themselves. Conscious of the limitations of the present system of peacebuilding in the country, Interpeace and IMRAP joined the Institute of Develop...
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Cross-border Dialogue for Peace Responsive Actions to Prevent Conflict and Improve Natural Resources Management Along the Mali-Burkina Faso Border

On the Mali-Burkina Faso central and southern border areas, Interpeace is conducting dialogue work with communities to understand, in a bottom-up way, the challenges and opportunities for strengthening social cohesion in the border regions of Sikasso in Mali and Hauts-Bassins in Burkina Faso. Key livelihood and development needs and how they intersect with conflict dynamics are also explored in or...
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Integrated approach to fight against impunity and to improve access to justice in central Mali

The project provides a holistic response to the demands and needs of access to justice for the population, both at the official level and through traditional mechanisms. It is an in-depth analysis, where people from all sectors took ownership in building on a multi-stakeholder dialogue, to create a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities for a better governance of the justice
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Past initiatives

Supporting trust-building between communities and security and defence forces through women’s participation

Malians consulted by Interpeace and IMRAP agreed by consensus that the immediate priority should be to put an end to chronic insecurity by restoring trust between communities and the secuirty and defence forces (SDF) responsible for their protection. Indeed, in the eyes of both SDF and civilians, their mutual mistrust and the resulting lack of collaboration largely explain the current inability of...
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Analyzing the root causes of youth-led violence in West Africa and the Sahel Region

Generally analyzed through the lenses of “radicalization” or “violent extremism”, dynamics of young people engaged in new forms of violence is the focus of growing international scrutiny, especially in West Africa. However, as this interest grows, we realize that our current understanding does not allow us to fully grasp the phenomenon’s complexity. Furthermore, young people are rarely a...
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Resources

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Illustrated Synthesis – Portraits Croisés – Local Analysis of Conflict and Resilience Dynamics in the Cercles of Ansongo, Bourem and Gao

Publication

22 November 2018

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Synthèse Illustrée – Portraits Croisés – Analyse locale des dynamiques de conflit et de résilience dans les cercles d’Ansongo, Bourem et Gao

Publication

22 November 2018

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Portraits Croisés – Analyse locale des dynamiques de conflit et de résilience dans les cercles d’Ansongo, Bourem et Gao

Publication

22 November 2018

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“D’un coup d’essai, un véritable coup de maître”

video

15 October 2018

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Illustrated Synthesis – “From trial to success” Women’s participation in the defense and security forces in Mali: a vehicle for trust

Publication

11 October 2018

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Synthèse Illustrée – « D’un coup d’essai, un véritable coup de maître » Participation des femmes dans les forces de défense et de sécurité au Mali : un vecteur de confiance

Publication

11 October 2018

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« D’un coup d’essai, un véritable coup de maître » Participation des femmes dans les forces de défense et de sécurité au Mali : un vecteur de confiance

Publication

11 October 2018

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“I walk with the boys” Trajectories of young people towards violence: mirror of the gender dynamics of their society? A local analysis of gender roles and social pressures in Cote d’Ivoire and Mali

Publication

11 December 2017

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« Je marche avec les garçons » Trajectoires des jeunes vers la violence, miroir des dynamiques de genre à l’échelle de leur société ? Une analyse locale des rôles de genre et des pressions sociales en Côte d’Ivoire et au Mali

Publication

30 November 2017