Mali

Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, including Ansar Eddine, Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad, part of the Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawada, and Platform, including affiliated groups are each listed in the annex of the 2025 SG’s report for multiple grave violations against children. In 2024, the UN verified 892 grave violations against 778 children, as well as 87 violations that occurred in previous years. Recruitment and use remained a prevalent violation, with 285 children recruited and used. The UN verified the killing and maiming of 387 children. The UN also verified the rape of 32 girls, 22 attacks on schools and hospitals, the abduction of 119 children, and 47 incidents of denial of humanitarian access. In addition, the Malian Defence and Security Forces detained 12 boys for alleged association with armed groups, with 11 detained for extended periods in violation of the 2013 handover protocol. The Security Council should:

• Demand that all parties uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL), and that all parties allow and facilitate the safe, timely, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations, especially children;
• Urge all armed groups to immediately release all children under 18 from their ranks and end and prevent all child recruitment and use, the killing and maiming of children, their abductions as well as take concrete steps to end rape and other forms of sexual violence against children; reiterate that children associated with armed forces and groups should be treated primarily as victims, and their reintegration should be prioritized;
• Encourage the Government of Mali to fully and consistently implement its 2013 handover protocol on the transfer and reintegration of children allegedly associated with armed groups and the release of detained children to civilian actors;
• Call on all parties to immediately cease attacks on schools and education personnel and urge the Malian authorities to continue to uphold commitments under the Safe Schools Declaration, including by enacting the draft bill on protecting education from attack.

FRANCE IS THE SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON MALI.

This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update – January 2026.

In January 2025, the SG published his fifth report on the situation of CAAC in Mali (S/2024/883), covering the period from April 2022 to March 2024. During this period, the UN verified 2,091 grave violations against 1,782 children (1,433 boys, 334 girls, 15 of unknown sex). The recruitment and use of children remained the most prominent grave violation, followed by killing and maiming and abduction, with these violations increasing by 14 percent, 23 percent, and 27 percent, respectively, with most child casualties (222) resulting from explosive devices. Verified incidents of attacks on schools and hospitals and denial of humanitarian access decreased by 70 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Monitoring and reporting challenges persisted due to insecurity, limited child protection capacity, and access restrictions following the withdrawal of MINUSMA. The report highlighted the ongoing lack of accountability, particularly for rape and other forms of sexual violence. The Working Group should:

• Strongly condemn all grave violations and abuses that continue to be committed against children in Mali, and demand that all parties uphold their obligations under IHL and IHRL;
• Call upon the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA) and Platform to implement their action plans, release all children from their ranks, and prevent all further recruitment and use;
• Call for continued and full implementation of the 2013 handover protocol, including for children allegedly associated with armed groups designated as terrorist groups by the UN, treating children primarily as victims and prioritizing their reintegration, as guided by the Paris Principles;
• Urge transitional Government to strengthen the legal child protection framework, including by finalizing the revision and adoption of the draft of national law on child protection, reinforcing national systems to prevent child recruitment and use;
• Call for allocation of sufficient resources to the UN Country Team to strengthen child protection capacities in light of the withdrawal of MINUSMA, including for monitoring and engagement with parties to end and prevent grave violations, and to address threats posed by explosive ordnance;
• Call on all parties to immediately cease attacks on schools and education personnel and urge the transitional Malian authorities to continue to uphold commitments under the Safe Schools Declaration, including by enacting the draft bill on protecting education from attack;
• Express concern at the lack of progress on combatting impunity, and urge the Malian authorities to strengthen accountability for grave violations against children, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, by conducting timely and impartial investigations and, where appropriate, prosecutions, and ensuring child survivors of sexual violence have access to comprehensive, gender-sensitive, and age-appropriate response systems and services.

This information is based on Watchlist’s Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update – March 2025.

Year listed: 2013
Action Plans signed: CMA (Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad), including the MNLA (Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad), action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children and sexual violence against children (March 2017)
Sanctions Committee: Mali Sanctions Committee (Current Chair: Dominican Republic)
Secretary-General’s reports on CAAC in Mali: 2022; 2020; 2018; 2014
Security Council Working Group conclusions on Mali: 2020; 2018; 2014
UN Mission: MINUSMA