Strengthening Security Governance in North and Central Mali

With funding from the Canadian Global Affairs’ Peace and Stabilisation Operations Program (PSOP), this project supported conflict transformation and good governance in central and northern Mali by building trust, dialogue, and accountability among conflict affected communities, security forces, and local authorities. An initial assessment conducted in the Mopti, Timbuktu, and Segou regions identified drivers of poor security force-community engagement and produced recommendations for Mali’s government, local communities, and international donors to improve security sector-community relationships. Subsequent work convened key government officials, security sector officials, civil society, and community members in Mopti, Timbuktu, and Segou to address mutual security challenges and develop responses through a series of tabletop exercises that increased trust and coordination between security forces and the communities they serve.

With support from Canadian Global Affairs’ Peace and Stabilisation Operations Program (PSOP), this project supports conflict transformation and promotes good governance in central and northern Mali by building trust, dialogue, and accountability among conflict affected communities, security forces, and local authorities. The project began with an assessment informed by over 60 interviews conducted over three weeks in the Mopti, Timbuktu, and Segou regions. This field research identified 11 drivers of poor security force-community engagement and produced 33 recommendations for Mali’s government, local communities, and international donors to improve security sector-community relationships. Subsequent work convened key government officials, security sector officials, civil society, and community members to address mutual security challenges and develop responses through a series of tabletop excercises to increase trust and coordination between security forces and the communities they serve.