mali
CONTEXT
Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa, faces significant political and security challenges due to constant coups d’état, separatist uprisings, and a jihadist insurgency in the past decade. 2022 was marked by the ECOWAS sanctions imposed on Mali in January 2022, which were then partially lifted after an announcement by the transitional military government of a roadmap towards democratic elections in March 2024. While economic and financial sanctions were lifted, certain institutional sanctions as well as sanctions against specific individuals and groups were upheld. Although the population feels the impact of the sanctions, the majority has expressed their support for the transitional authorities. Military operations continue in the centre and the north of the country between the extremist groups and the government forces (FAMA) and their allies, including the fight over leadership in the three-border zone in the Gourma. In this context of conflict and transition, civic space has been shrinking. The increased limitations to freedom of expression, freedom of press, freedom of assembly and the right to information, are all very worrying. Many Malians nevertheless support the authorities in their decision to implement these restrictions on civic space in the context of the transition, suggesting these are considered legitimate measures.
Regions
The Just Future Alliance and its local partners are active in 5 regions in Niger: Gao, Mopti, Tombouctou and the capital city region, Bamako.
Activities in 2022
Understanding security concerns and needs of communities, accumulating knowledge and mobilizing key security actors by supporting local security advisory committees, organizing community dialogues to improve security situation in the Gao region, conducting trainings and workshops to enhance SSR/SSRG awareness, and completing a comprehensive website for the Hybrid Security Governance Observatory.
JF partners in Mali lobbied for increased numbers of justice actors to provide greater justice for rural populations of Mali and helped to mobilize people to lobby and advocate for their interests.
JF partners established inclusive spaces for direct engagement between civil society and community representatives and relevant regional and local authorities, as well as their participation in meetings and workshops on specific topics of inclusion with diverse civil society and community representation, including women, youth, and groups with specific needs.
OUTCOMES
- State security institutions collaborate with communities in conflict zones, consult with the most excluded constituencies, and develop a mechanism of accountability better service
- Primary stakeholders’ capacities are strengthened, and they take ownership of local and regional security governance mechanisms
- Needs and aspirations of communities are addressed by security governance actors, which adopt measures to include most excluded constituencies in the decision-making bodies of the security apparatus
Interventions
- Create communication channels between key security actors and communities
- Strengthen capacities of communities and CSOs on lobbying & advocacy, monitoring, evaluation
- National and regional lobby & advocacy
- Technical support
- Training of security actors on human rights standards
- Supporting media for greater transparency and accountabilit
- Access to justice services for the most excluded constituencies improved
- Collaboration and coordination between statutory and customary justice actors strengthened
- Primary stakeholders equipped to advocate for the inclusion of most excluded constituencies
Interventions
- Promote and strengthen exchange between various justice actors
- Support local CSOs, community leaders and local authorities to promote application of formal justice for conflict resolution
- Technical support to judicial institutions on reforms and policies to improve accountability
- Training justice actors (customary, statutory and religious) to comply with human rights standards
- Support creation of community accountability systems
- Strengthen capacities of communities and CSOs on lobbying & advocacy, monitoring, evaluation
- Supporting media for greater transparency and accountability
- Create relationships with international organizations for international advocacy
- Facilitate access of rural communities to courts and legal services (transport, mobile courts)
- Primary stakeholders equipped to advocate for the inclusion of most excluded constituencies
- Local, regional and national actors implement ratified national, regional and international commitments on inclusion
- Most excluded constituencies, local and national authorities access consultative spaces to facilitate and monitor inclusion
- Primary stakeholders are sensitized about rights of most excluded constituencies, processes of inclusion and involved in advocacy and influencing actions
- Sharing lessons learned for sustainability of achievements
Interventions
- Strengthen capacity of youth and women’s associations
- Establish networks of young mediators to participate in political decision-making
- Support mentoring initiatives to bring young people and adults together
- Use media to engage in dialogue with young people