Declaration of the Forum of Civil Society Organisations

Bamako, on March 22, 2012.

Following the events that occurred in the night of March 21, 2012 in Bamako and in the regions, the Forum of Civil Society Organisations of Mali has held a meeting at its headquarters.

After analysis and review of the situation, the Forum of Civil Society Organizations condemns, as a principle all forms of coup d'état and acts of violence for the settlement of problems within the Malian nation. The Civil Society Forum takes note of the declaration made on March 22, 2012 by the CNRDR, and among them the following points:

-           The establishment of an inclusive Government of National Unity to be constituted after consultation with all the active social forces of the country;

-           The non-confiscation of power;

-           The restoration of national unity and territorial integrity;

-           The commitment to work with all forces of the nation without any distinction;

However, the Forum of Civil Society Organizations also declares:

Considering that:

-       Mali, our beloved country, is the subject of a violent attack by armed secessionist groups who want to break away the Northern and Central part of the nation,

-       The complexity of this crisis and the diversity of players involved render its resolution difficult;

-       There is a deep unease in all layers of Malian society in the face of this crisis and the exit strategies or solutions to it are not immediately and clearly visible or understandable;

-       The food crisis, nutrition and health problems have a strong impact on almost the entire country;

-       The school and university crisis remains unsolved;

-       Because of the security situation in the North / Center of the country as well as the state of the current electoral register, it has not been not possible to organize a legitimate election process. At the same time the primary concern of most politicians appear to be holding on to power or gaining access to it immediately;

-       The national army clearly encounters many problems in its struggle to preserve the unity and integrity of the country;

-       The task of preserving the honor of the Malian people and of defending the integrity of our national territory is the sole responsibility of the Malian army;

-       The overwhelming support of the people towards the national army is an expression of the peoples' attachment to national sovereignty and not an act of charity;

-       The people are experiencing a growing concern for the preservation of their safety and that of their property;

-       In the current situation, an offer of ceasefire or a peace agreement could be perceived by the people as an act of capitulation.

The Civil Society Forum makes the following proposition to the National Committee for the Rebuilding of Democracy and the Restoration of the State (CNRDR):

1. The establishment of a government of national unity with limited powers and objectives and that will be given the means and powers to carry out the four following priority missions:

safeguarding of national sovereignty, of territorial integrity and of national unity;
preparation and organization of national roundtables on citizenship, governance and sustainable development in Mali;
preparation and organization of credible elections (presidential, parliamentary and municipal) within the present year, based on a finalized and reliable updated version of the RAVEC registration database;
strengthening the application of laws and legislations on decentralization and the principles of good governance with a focus on proper management of public funds and administration of justice (intensifying the fight against financial crime and corruption);

2. Public auditing of all the development plans and programs in the country;

3. Suspension of the territorial reorganisation scheme, actually in progress;

4. Reallocation of the country's budgetary resources in order to be able to complete the above outlined tasks.

5. Implementation of measures and infrastructures to reduce the impact of the food crisis and of the nutrition and health problems as well as improving the quality of the education and university system.

In doing so, while wishing speedy recovery to all the people wounded, the Forum of Civil Society bows to the memory of all civilian and military casualties and invites the CNRDR to ensure respect for individual and collective rights and freedoms.

In conclusion, the Forum of Civil Society Organizations makes itself available to anyone and to any national initiatives whose aim is the implementation of the above proposals.

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La Via Campesina
Via Campesina is an international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers. We are an autonomous, pluralist and multicultural movement, independent of any political, economic, or other type of affiliation. Born in 1993, La Via Campesina now gathers about 150 organisations in 70 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

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