Biden extends Mali national emergency for another year

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has signed this Friday an executive order extending for an additional year the national emergency with respect to Mali.

The national emergency declared in Mali was adopted on July 26, 2019 to “address the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States” in the African country.

In this regard, the US president has conveyed to Congress his intention to renew the emergency declaration for a second time, given that Mali remains in the same situation and continues to represent “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

Among the reasons are that the African country has “repeatedly violated cease-fire agreements”, terrorist activities have expanded into southern and central Mali, there has also been an intensification of drug trafficking and human trafficking, human rights abuses and hostage-taking.

To all this, there is added “another coup d’état”, “the presence of foreign mercenaries threatening peace, security and stability”, and the intensification of attacks against civilians, the Malian defense and security forces, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and international security presences.