Mali Transition Initiative (MTI)/ FY2015 – Q2 Quarterly Report

The program played a crucial role in disseminating information regarding a peace agreement between the Malian government and armed opposition groups. Efforts were geared toward disseminating the contents of the March 1st Algiers Peace agreement through civil society groups, media, and local authorities, as well as creating a popular movement in northern Mali to pressure armed groups to sign the Peace Agreement. The program rapidly adapted to promote the March 1st Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, translating the document into local languages, printing and distributing over 30,000 copies, and working with civil society groups and radio stations to explain its contents to the Malian population. Following the refusal of the Coordination of Awazad Movements (CMA) to sign the Agreement, MTI designed and implemented a series of 11 mass rallies throughout Northern Mali in favor of the Agreement, in order to put pressure on the rebel groups. These efforts were commended by the Malian government in a public statement, thanking the civil society groups who mobilized in support of the peace process. MTI continued to make solid progress on its infrastructure activities, with the Timbuktu Peace Garden completed mid-March and the main rehabilitation works at Douentza High School scheduled for completion in early April. The program cleared 32 activities valued at $1,270,605 during the January to March 2015 period, broken down by objective in the table below. A total of 178 activities worth $9,049,335 in Transition Activities Pool (TAP) funds have been committed from the inception of the program through March 2015. The program devoted most of its grant development and implementation energies on advancing Objective 1: Increasing the Supply and Demand for a Peaceful Resolution to the Conflict. This objective accounted for 22 out of the 32 cleared activities, valued at $709,228. The program also made progress on Objective 2: Restoring a Sense of Normalcy in Strategic Areas in the North, with 8 cleared activities valued at $438,088. Objective 3: Countering Violent Extremism Through Inclusion of Marginalized Communities accounted for 2 cleared activities, valued at $123,289. The program's budget information shows that for the first time since the inception of the program, Transition Activities Pool (TAP) spending exceeded operations spending over the quarter, with an average monthly ratio of 59%/41% Activities/Ops ratio. The total funding available for program activities is $10,550,000, out of which $9,049,335 is already committed. The commitment of the remaining funds, $1,500,665 by the end of December 2015 requires the program to generate approximately $166,740 in new activities per month, plus any funds reflowing back to the TAP activity pool from grants currently under implementation. The program's security situation remains a concern, with ongoing violence in northern Mali and MINUSMA's loss of credibility due to the accidental killing of demonstrators by peacekeepers in Gao in late January. However, the program continues to adapt to the changing situation and make progress on its objectives. The future of the peace process remains in doubt, but the program's efforts to promote the March 1st Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and create a popular movement in northern Mali to pressure armed groups to sign the Agreement remain crucial to achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict.