Armed Groups in Mali Must Cease Hostilities or Face UN Sanctions - US

Violence in and around Menaka, Timbuktu and Goundam must stop as it hinders the peace process in Mali, US State Department acting spokesperson Mary Harf said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Mali has seen years of fighting between local insurgent groups. In 2012, the country’s former president Amadou Toumani Toure was ousted by mutinying soldiers who opposed the authorities’ handling of the Tuareg rebellion earlier in the year.

All parties are responsible to Mali citizens, as well as the international community to “reach a durable peace agreement,” the statement read.

“We call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and return to their previous positions in compliance with all applicable ceasefire agreements,” Harf said on Wednesday evening.

Harf warned that groups who do not comply will face UN Security Council sanctions.

“The [UN Security] Council expressed its readiness to consider appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against those who resume hostilities and violate the ceasefire,” Harf said.

The UN has a 10,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali that assists the Malian government in its attempts to end the conflict.