Fighting menace of terrorism requires robust support from UNSC, international community: India

India on Wednesday said that the UN mission in Mali is “overburdened” with a huge mandate but is functioning with inadequate resources and called for equipping the mission with commensurate resources, as it stressed that fighting the menace of terrorism in the Sahel region will require more robust support from the Security Council and the international community.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said the mission is “overburdened with a huge mandate, but lack of commensurate resources is affecting its functioning.

“If MINUSMA has to carry out its mandate more effectively, it must be adequately equipped with resources. The quest for more with increasingly scarce resources will be counterproductive,” Naidu said.

Naidu informed the Council that the Indian Government will consider positively the Secretary General’s proposal for deployment of air assets in MINUSMA. Earlier, India had also contributed one million dollars to African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) fund in 2013.

Naidu said India has taken note of the Secretary General’s update on MINUSMA’s operations, security challenges and transition plan, including a possible exit strategy.

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