The United Nations Department of Peace Operations (DPO) has released a new report, A Peace That Was Not Enough: Lessons from MINUSMA's support to peace processes in Mali, examining the UN’s decade-long peacekeeping operation in the country.
Drawing on the experience of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the study reflects on the mission’s achievements and challenges in supporting peace processes and offers recommendations to help inform future UN peacekeeping operations.
“MINUSMA demonstrated the continued value of multidimensional UN peacekeeping, even in extremely challenging environments,” David Haeri, Director of DPO’s Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training (DPET) said at an event marking the launch of the report on Monday.
The report challenges the frequently cited notion of ‘no peace to keep,’ the argument that UN peacekeeping efforts in Mali were destined to struggle because of the country’s persistent insecurity and active conflict. It finds that, although the peace process in Mali was ultimately insufficient to secure lasting stability, the Mission helped sustain real opportunities for political progress. Through mediation, support to implementation mechanisms, and engagement with key stakeholders, MINUSMA contributed to keeping political dialogue alive during critical periods.
“MINUSMA taught us that UN peacekeeping can support a political process, but it cannot replace one. It can help sustain dialogue and help create space for political solutions, but it cannot manufacture the political consensus required for true and sustainable peace,” Mr. Haeri explained.
The study finds MINUSMA achieved important successes, especially during the early stages of its deployment. The Mission supported the organization of elections to help restore legitimate state authority, contributed to reducing conflict between armed groups in northern Mali, and helped establish principles that informed ceasefire negotiations.
“For more than 10 years, MINUSMA worked to support sustainable peace in a country that is among the most difficult operating environments ever experienced by a UN peacekeeping operation,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Peace Institute (IPI) said at the event. “In a context marked by persistent instability, asymmetric threats, and waning post-state consent, MINUSMA nevertheless played a critical role helping to protect civilians and sustain a tenuous peace process.”
The report also identifies a number of challenges that affected MINUSMA’s ability to support peace processes, many of which laid beyond its control. Efforts to advance the implementation of political agreements at times complicated perceptions of the Mission’s impartiality, while public expectations often extended beyond MINUSMA’s mandated role. In particular, demands for a stronger counterterrorism response—which fell outside of the Mission’s mandate and was undertaken by parallel operations—shaped public perceptions and influenced the Mission’s relationship with the Malian authorities.
The report also notes that the context underpinning MINUSMA’s mandate changed significantly during the Mission’s final years, as they altered the operational environment and reduced the conditions that had enabled MINUSMA to support the peace process. These developments ultimately contributed to the Mission’s closure in 2023.
“The rule of engagement and the mandate of MINUSMA were not fit to meet the security challenges of Mali…however, we remain grateful to the efforts and the sacrifice made by the UN personnel to help us restore peace is our country,” H.E. Issa Konfourou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mali to the United Nations, said.
Beyond its assessment of Mali’s peace process, the report identifies broader lessons for the future of UN peacekeeping. It finds that MINUSMA demonstrated the continued value of multidimensional UN peacekeeping operations, showing how missions can contribute to political engagement, civilian protection, dialogue, reconciliation and institution-building, even in highly challenging environments.
At the same time, the study cautions that ambitious mandates must be supported by coherent political strategies, realistic expectations, and sustained international backing. The Mission’s experience highlighted the risks of a growing gap between what UN peacekeeping operations are mandated to deliver and the political, operational and security conditions in which they are expected to operate.
The report also underscores that UN peacekeeping operations are only as effective as the partnerships that sustain them. Where national, regional and international actors were aligned, MINUSMA was able to achieve meaningful results; where political objectives diverged, its ability to support the peace process became increasingly constrained.
Looking ahead, in an era marked by fragile political agreements, shifting partnerships, misinformation and growing geopolitical tensions, the study argues that UN peacekeeping remains a vital tool for supporting political solutions - but one that must continue to adapt. MINUSMA’s legacy is not a simple story of success or failure; rather, it offers valuable lessons on how UN peacekeeping can sustain dialogue, support communities and create space for peace, while underscoring the need for strong political backing, effective partnerships and realistic expectations. By learning from this experience, the UN can help shape a stronger future for peacekeeping.
“To have this conversation transparently and with humility is important, because a lot of these dynamics…are not that dissimilar from other contexts that we’re looking at: fragile political processes, tensions around hosting consent, complicated regional dynamics,” Jenna Russo, Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations and Peacebuilding at IPI, said. “To the extent that we can learn from the Malian case, it will really help the future of other missions.”
311 UN peacekeepers lost their lives while serving in the service of peace in Mali. This DPO report is dedicated to their memory.
The full study can be accessed from the MINUSMA website.
Article written by Leo Bader.
