From The Namibian

The Security Council extended for another year the United Nations mission in Mali, calling on it to prioritize efforts to facilitate peace talks and expand its presence in the north.
The maximum level of peacekeepers will remain the same, at 11 200 soldiers and 1 440 police, as will the arrangement under which French soldiers in Mali can lend a hand in cases of serious and imminent danger.

According to the resolution, the UN mission, known as MINUSMA (the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali), should “expand its presence, including through long-range patrols… in the north of Mali beyond key population centres, notably in areas where civilians are at risk”.

The operation should also make it a priority to get negotiations started between the Malian government and Tuareg rebels in the north.

A ceasefire was agreed on 23 May after violent clashes in Kidal, but talks have failed to materialise.

The UN resolution urged “Malian authorities to launch without delay an inclusive and credible negotiation process,” and called on all the armed groups to put down their weapons.

MINUSMA, the council said, should “co-ordinate with and support the Malian authorities” to get the talks going, ensuring it is “open to all communities of the north of Mali”.

The resolution also tasked the mission with protecting UN personnel and installations, and safeguarding Malian cultural sites. The council asked the UN to “to take the necessary steps to enable MINUSMA to reach its full operational capacity as soon as possible” and for member states to supply the necessary manpower and materials.

Read more at The Namibian