The transitional government in Mali declared the director of the human rights division of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali, “persona non grata”, and notified him to “leave the national territory within 48 hours”.
“The Government of the Republic of Mali informs the public that on February 5, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation notified the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) of the decision of the Government to declare persona non grata, Mr. Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali, Director of the Human Rights Division of MINUSMA. Consequently, the person concerned will have to leave the national territory within 48 hours”, the Malian government said in a statement made public on Sunday evening.
“This measure follows the destabilizing and subversive actions of Mr. Andali, in flagrant violation of the principles and obligations that must be observed by United Nations officials and any diplomat accredited to Mali, in accordance with the relevant international conventions”, the statement said, adding “Indeed, during the various sessions of the United Nations Security Council on Mali, Mr. Andali’s actions consisted in selecting usurpers claiming the title of representative of Malian civil society, ignoring the authorities and national institutions.”
“In addition to the selection of these individuals recruited to make specious statements, the Government stresses that Mr. Andali has never succeeded in proving the objective criteria which enabled him to identify the representatives of civil society that he used. Mr. Andali’s bias was even more evident during the last United Nations Security Council review of Mali,” the statement added.
From the investigations carried out, it appears that Mr. Andali’s offer of denigration was initially rejected by a worthy child of Mali. It was by default that he managed to find a lady who agreed to play the role of usurper by speaking on January 27, 2023 on behalf of Malian civil society,” the statement continued, noting that “the conspiracy was all the greater in that the organization to which the usurper claims to belong is an undeclared foreign association and has no right to practice in Mali”.
The statement noted further that “this package was denounced respectively by several actors including the National Council of Civil Society and the Coordination of Women’s Associations and NGOs of Mali (CAFO).”
“The Government of the Transition reiterates its readiness to maintain dialogue and pursue cooperation with all of its partners, in accordance with the 3 principles of Colonel Assimi GOTA, President of the Transition, Head of State, namely: Respect for sovereignty; Respect for the strategic choices and the choices of partners made by Mali and taking into account the vital interests of the Malian people in the decisions taken”, noted the statement.