The African Union calls on all AU member states to extend the required support to the Malian Government

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, January 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, strongly condemns the renewed attacks by armed terrorist and criminal groups in northern Mali, which resulted in the capture of the town of Konna, in the Mopti area. She expresses AU's solidarity with Mali, and calls on all AU Member States, in line with the relevant decisions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) and United Nations Security Council resolutions, to extend the necessary logistical, financial and capacity building support to the Malian Defense and Security Forces.

Consultations are underway between the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to determine the best ways and means of expediting the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), as authorized by Security Council resolution 2085 (2012), and to further the implementation of other aspects of the said resolution, in particular the early holding of a donors' conference to solicit contributions to the Trust Fund to be established in support of AFISMA and the Malian Defense and Security Forces. In this respect, the Chairperson of the Commission, while welcoming the press statement on Mali adopted by the UN Security Council on 10 January 2013, reiterates the request by both the AU and ECOWAS to the Council for urgent authorization of funding, through UN-assessed contributions, to enable the early deployment of AFISMA and efficient running of its operations.

The Chairperson of the Commission further reiterates AU's support to the Malian transitional authorities, particularly President Dioncounda Traoré and Prime Minister Diango Cissoko, and urgently calls on all Malian stakeholders to rally behind them at this very difficult juncture and to place the fundamental interests of Mali above narrow political considerations. The AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel, former President Pierre Buyoya, who is currently in Bamako, will reemphasize this message to all the Malian stakeholders, as well as AU's determination to pursue the implementation of all aspects of the Strategic Concept for the Resolution of the Crises in Mali, adopted by the PSC on 24 October 2012.