Return To: The Security Council
The Security Council Security Council Situation Report 24 October 2019
This update complements the brief background notes already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
This update went to press as of 22 October and contains no information beyond that date.
The Situation in Syria
A sudden withdrawal of United States military forces from northeastern Syria has thrown the region into chaos. The US had about 1,000 troops stationed there as a “tripwire force” to maintain stability and operate a training base where they provided military assistance and training to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militant group that was key to driving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from their strongholds in Syria and had set up an autonomous administration covering much of northeast Syria. The SDF, with US air and armor support, was critical to uprooting the ISIL “caliphate” but at a great cost: the SDF suffered over 11,000 casualties during the years of fighting. On 7 October, United States President Donald Trump announced that all US forces would be withdrawn immediately.
As the US forces began to withdraw, Turkey launched a military assault against the SDF in northern Syria. Turkey has long considered the SDF to be a terrorist organization in league with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraq. Turkey’s stated aim is to create a “safe zone” reaching 30 km into Syria from the Turkish border, where they plan to resettle millions of Syrian refugees currently located in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had indicated to US President Donald Trump that he would conduct this attack if the US withdrew. To date, over 100 combatants have been killed and at least 160,000 people in the region have been displaced, most heading south but some hundreds crossing the border into Iraq.
In the face of Turkey’s military superiority, the SDF made an alliance with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, which have been deployed to northeastern Syria to defend against the Turkish army. Assad’s forces are now deployed over more territory than at any other time during the past five years. Assad has promised his military will act as a deterrent against Turkey and not take full control over the Kurdish areas. Russia, who backs Assad, has also deployed military police to patrol the Syria-Turkey border.
The chaos threatens to allow ISIL to regain a foothold in Syria. According to the SDF, their forces have been holding over 12,000 suspected ISIL members in seven prisons in northeastern Syria. As a result of the SDF’s preoccupation with the Turkish invasion, on 13 October, hundreds of ISIL-linked fighters escaped from an SDF-held prison camp at Ain Issa in northern Syria.
Turkey’s invasion has sparked widespread international condemnation, including from the United States. Trump threatened sanctions if Turkey did not cease its assault and imposed additional sanctions on 14 October. On 17 October, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that Turkey had agreed to a 5-day “ceasefire” to allow the SDF forces to withdraw, and that the United States would lift its recently imposed sanctions if the ceasefire was complied with. Turkey’s government immediately made it clear that the agreement was not a ceasefire and that if their conditions were not met the offensive would continue.
Possible violations of prohibitions against chemical weapons may also have occurred. On 18 October, chemical weapons inspectors from the UN announced that they are investigating accusations that Turkish-linked forces used white phosphorus, a chemical weapon that causes severe skin burns, against Syrian children. Although legal to use in combat as a smokescreen and to light areas at night, it is illegal to use against civilians. Turkey denied the accusations.
As of 21 October, most of the US troops stationed in Syria have now withdrawn to Iraq. United States Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper indicated that around 200 troops would remain in eastern Syria to protect oil fields from ISIS [ISIL]. Reports of violations of the ceasefire have come in from both sides, and Turkey has indicated that its assault will continue in full force if the SDF forces have not fully withdrawn by the time the ceasefire ends on the evening of 22 October.
So far, the Security Council has not taken any direct action calling for Turkey to cease its offensive. It has held two closed-door meetings on the subject since hostilities escalated and released a statement expressing concern over the release of terrorist captives and calling for humanitarian aid. The Council’s European members as well as China released separate statements condemning Turkey’s actions. This is a fast-developing and fluid situation that the Secretariat’s office urges Council members to follow closely.
Bibliography
Amid ongoing fighting in northeast Syria, hundreds cross Iraqi border in search of safety (18 October 2019). UN News.
Fahim, Kareem et al (17 October 2019). Syria cease-fire agreement lifts threat of U.S. sanctions while letting Turkey keep buffer zone. Washington Post.
Guzel, Mehmet and Bassem Mroue (14 October 2019). Turkey widens invasion as Syrian army returns to northeast. Associated Press.
Hubbard, Ben and Patrick Kingsley (21 October 2019). U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Gathers Speed, Amid Accusations of Betrayal. New York Times.
Karni, Annie et al (17 October 2019). Turkey Agrees to Pause Fighting, but Not to Withdraw Forces From Northern Syria. NY Times.
Nichols, Michelle (16 October 2019). U.N. Security Council concerned about northeast Syria, U.S., China, Europeans urge ceasefire. Reuters.
Noack, Rick and Aaron Steckelberg (17 October 2019). What Trump just triggered in Syria, visualized. Washington Post.
Sabbagh, Dan (18 October 2019). UN investigates alleged use of white phosphorus in Syria. The Guardian.
Taylor, Adam and Joyce Lee (15 October 2019). U.S. troops abandoned their Syrian base. Video appears to show Russians have moved in. Washington Post.
Turkey-Syria offensive: ‘Hundreds’ of IS relatives escape camp (13 October 2019). BBC News.
US troops leaving Syria will go to Iraq, says Pentagon chief (20 October 2019). BBC News.
The Situation in Mali and Burkina Faso
On 25 September 2019, the United Nations hosted a high-level meeting regarding Mali and the Sahel. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali discussed the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement signed in Bamako (2015 Agreement), stating that it has led to a “progressive return of trust between parties.” Participants in the meeting welcomed national dialogue, but expressed serious concern regarding escalating levels of violence and the worsening humanitarian situation in central Mali. The acute problem of terrorism and the chronic effects of environmental degradation and climate change both continue to exacerbate the dire situation in the northern and central regions of Mali, leaving more than 100,000 people displaced within Mali, an estimated 220,000 in Burkina Faso, and 400,000 in Niger. President Keïta stated with regard to militia fighters that demobilization, disarmament and reintegration, a process otherwise known as “DDR,” would be necessary to re-establish State authority in Mali.
On 1 October, two terror attacks were carried out against a Malian battalion of the regional G5 Sahel Force in Boulkessi, Burkina Faso, and also a Malian army base in Mondoro. The attacks left an estimated 25 Malian soldiers dead, and another 60 were reported missing. The G5 Sahel, a five-nation anti-insurgency coalition backed by France and composed of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, suspect members of the group Ansarul Islam carried out the attack on Boulkessi. Following the 1 October attacks, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), reiterated MINUSMA’s commitment to its Security Council mandate and affirmed that the United Nations would continue to support the G5 Sahel and the Malian army in fighting terrorism.
MINUSMA peacekeepers were the targets of two terror attacks in Mali on 6 October. The first attack of the day occurred at a MINUSMA temporary operating base in Bandiagara, a town in the Mopti region of Mali, which left one peacekeeper from Togo seriously injured. The second attack occurred in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region of Mali, when a convoy hit an improvised explosive device (IED). One peacekeeper from Chad was killed, and three others were seriously injured. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the two attacks and called upon the Malian government as well as signatories to the 2015 Agreement to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators. The Security Council similarly urged parties to the conflict to step up implementation of the 2015 Agreement to ensure safety and security for both peacekeepers and civilians.
A terror group targeted civilians in Burkina Faso on 13 October, leaving at least 15 dead and four injured in an attack on a mosque in the town of Salmossi. No group has claimed responsibility, but speculation is that Ansarul Islam, the same group suspected of the 1 October attack in Boulkessi, was likely behind the deadly mosque attack.
Bibliography
Jezequel, Jean-Hervé (1 July 2015). Mali’s peace deal represents a welcome development, but will it work this time? The Guardian.
Mali President outlines achievements and challenges since 2015 peace deal (25 September 2019. UN News Centre.
UN chief urges scaled up response for peace, across troubled Sahel’s region (25 September 2019). UN News Centre.
At least 25 killed in Mali militant attack (2 October 2019). BBC News.
UN condemns deadly simultaneous terrorist attacks on military camps in Mali (2 October 2019). UN News Centre.
Secretary-General condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers in Mali (6 October 2019). UN News Centre.
European Council on Foreign Relations (2019). Ansarul Islam.
UN chief condemns deadly Burkina Faso mosque attack (13 October 2019). UN News Centre.
UN Documents
United Nations, Security Council (2019). Step Up Implementation of Peace Agreement, Security Council Urges Mali, as Top Official Reports on Deadly Violence against Peacekeepers. SC/13977.
United Nations Secretary-General (2019). Note to Correspondents: High-Level Meeting on Mali and the Co-chairs’ summary.
United Nations Peacekeeping (2019). Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.
This update complements the brief background notes already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
This update went to press as of 22 October and contains no information beyond that date.
The Situation in Syria
A sudden withdrawal of United States military forces from northeastern Syria has thrown the region into chaos. The US had about 1,000 troops stationed there as a “tripwire force” to maintain stability and operate a training base where they provided military assistance and training to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militant group that was key to driving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from their strongholds in Syria and had set up an autonomous administration covering much of northeast Syria. The SDF, with US air and armor support, was critical to uprooting the ISIL “caliphate” but at a great cost: the SDF suffered over 11,000 casualties during the years of fighting. On 7 October, United States President Donald Trump announced that all US forces would be withdrawn immediately.
As the US forces began to withdraw, Turkey launched a military assault against the SDF in northern Syria. Turkey has long considered the SDF to be a terrorist organization in league with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraq. Turkey’s stated aim is to create a “safe zone” reaching 30 km into Syria from the Turkish border, where they plan to resettle millions of Syrian refugees currently located in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had indicated to US President Donald Trump that he would conduct this attack if the US withdrew. To date, over 100 combatants have been killed and at least 160,000 people in the region have been displaced, most heading south but some hundreds crossing the border into Iraq.
In the face of Turkey’s military superiority, the SDF made an alliance with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, which have been deployed to northeastern Syria to defend against the Turkish army. Assad’s forces are now deployed over more territory than at any other time during the past five years. Assad has promised his military will act as a deterrent against Turkey and not take full control over the Kurdish areas. Russia, who backs Assad, has also deployed military police to patrol the Syria-Turkey border.
The chaos threatens to allow ISIL to regain a foothold in Syria. According to the SDF, their forces have been holding over 12,000 suspected ISIL members in seven prisons in northeastern Syria. As a result of the SDF’s preoccupation with the Turkish invasion, on 13 October, hundreds of ISIL-linked fighters escaped from an SDF-held prison camp at Ain Issa in northern Syria.
Turkey’s invasion has sparked widespread international condemnation, including from the United States. Trump threatened sanctions if Turkey did not cease its assault and imposed additional sanctions on 14 October. On 17 October, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that Turkey had agreed to a 5-day “ceasefire” to allow the SDF forces to withdraw, and that the United States would lift its recently imposed sanctions if the ceasefire was complied with. Turkey’s government immediately made it clear that the agreement was not a ceasefire and that if their conditions were not met the offensive would continue.
Possible violations of prohibitions against chemical weapons may also have occurred. On 18 October, chemical weapons inspectors from the UN announced that they are investigating accusations that Turkish-linked forces used white phosphorus, a chemical weapon that causes severe skin burns, against Syrian children. Although legal to use in combat as a smokescreen and to light areas at night, it is illegal to use against civilians. Turkey denied the accusations.
As of 21 October, most of the US troops stationed in Syria have now withdrawn to Iraq. United States Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper indicated that around 200 troops would remain in eastern Syria to protect oil fields from ISIS [ISIL]. Reports of violations of the ceasefire have come in from both sides, and Turkey has indicated that its assault will continue in full force if the SDF forces have not fully withdrawn by the time the ceasefire ends on the evening of 22 October.
So far, the Security Council has not taken any direct action calling for Turkey to cease its offensive. It has held two closed-door meetings on the subject since hostilities escalated and released a statement expressing concern over the release of terrorist captives and calling for humanitarian aid. The Council’s European members as well as China released separate statements condemning Turkey’s actions. This is a fast-developing and fluid situation that the Secretariat’s office urges Council members to follow closely.
Bibliography
Amid ongoing fighting in northeast Syria, hundreds cross Iraqi border in search of safety (18 October 2019). UN News.
Fahim, Kareem et al (17 October 2019). Syria cease-fire agreement lifts threat of U.S. sanctions while letting Turkey keep buffer zone. Washington Post.
Guzel, Mehmet and Bassem Mroue (14 October 2019). Turkey widens invasion as Syrian army returns to northeast. Associated Press.
Hubbard, Ben and Patrick Kingsley (21 October 2019). U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Gathers Speed, Amid Accusations of Betrayal. New York Times.
Karni, Annie et al (17 October 2019). Turkey Agrees to Pause Fighting, but Not to Withdraw Forces From Northern Syria. NY Times.
Nichols, Michelle (16 October 2019). U.N. Security Council concerned about northeast Syria, U.S., China, Europeans urge ceasefire. Reuters.
Noack, Rick and Aaron Steckelberg (17 October 2019). What Trump just triggered in Syria, visualized. Washington Post.
Sabbagh, Dan (18 October 2019). UN investigates alleged use of white phosphorus in Syria. The Guardian.
Taylor, Adam and Joyce Lee (15 October 2019). U.S. troops abandoned their Syrian base. Video appears to show Russians have moved in. Washington Post.
Turkey-Syria offensive: ‘Hundreds’ of IS relatives escape camp (13 October 2019). BBC News.
US troops leaving Syria will go to Iraq, says Pentagon chief (20 October 2019). BBC News.
The Situation in Mali and Burkina Faso
On 25 September 2019, the United Nations hosted a high-level meeting regarding Mali and the Sahel. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali discussed the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement signed in Bamako (2015 Agreement), stating that it has led to a “progressive return of trust between parties.” Participants in the meeting welcomed national dialogue, but expressed serious concern regarding escalating levels of violence and the worsening humanitarian situation in central Mali. The acute problem of terrorism and the chronic effects of environmental degradation and climate change both continue to exacerbate the dire situation in the northern and central regions of Mali, leaving more than 100,000 people displaced within Mali, an estimated 220,000 in Burkina Faso, and 400,000 in Niger. President Keïta stated with regard to militia fighters that demobilization, disarmament and reintegration, a process otherwise known as “DDR,” would be necessary to re-establish State authority in Mali.
On 1 October, two terror attacks were carried out against a Malian battalion of the regional G5 Sahel Force in Boulkessi, Burkina Faso, and also a Malian army base in Mondoro. The attacks left an estimated 25 Malian soldiers dead, and another 60 were reported missing. The G5 Sahel, a five-nation anti-insurgency coalition backed by France and composed of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, suspect members of the group Ansarul Islam carried out the attack on Boulkessi. Following the 1 October attacks, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), reiterated MINUSMA’s commitment to its Security Council mandate and affirmed that the United Nations would continue to support the G5 Sahel and the Malian army in fighting terrorism.
MINUSMA peacekeepers were the targets of two terror attacks in Mali on 6 October. The first attack of the day occurred at a MINUSMA temporary operating base in Bandiagara, a town in the Mopti region of Mali, which left one peacekeeper from Togo seriously injured. The second attack occurred in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region of Mali, when a convoy hit an improvised explosive device (IED). One peacekeeper from Chad was killed, and three others were seriously injured. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the two attacks and called upon the Malian government as well as signatories to the 2015 Agreement to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators. The Security Council similarly urged parties to the conflict to step up implementation of the 2015 Agreement to ensure safety and security for both peacekeepers and civilians.
A terror group targeted civilians in Burkina Faso on 13 October, leaving at least 15 dead and four injured in an attack on a mosque in the town of Salmossi. No group has claimed responsibility, but speculation is that Ansarul Islam, the same group suspected of the 1 October attack in Boulkessi, was likely behind the deadly mosque attack.
Bibliography
Jezequel, Jean-Hervé (1 July 2015). Mali’s peace deal represents a welcome development, but will it work this time? The Guardian.
Mali President outlines achievements and challenges since 2015 peace deal (25 September 2019. UN News Centre.
UN chief urges scaled up response for peace, across troubled Sahel’s region (25 September 2019). UN News Centre.
At least 25 killed in Mali militant attack (2 October 2019). BBC News.
UN condemns deadly simultaneous terrorist attacks on military camps in Mali (2 October 2019). UN News Centre.
Secretary-General condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers in Mali (6 October 2019). UN News Centre.
European Council on Foreign Relations (2019). Ansarul Islam.
UN chief condemns deadly Burkina Faso mosque attack (13 October 2019). UN News Centre.
UN Documents
United Nations, Security Council (2019). Step Up Implementation of Peace Agreement, Security Council Urges Mali, as Top Official Reports on Deadly Violence against Peacekeepers. SC/13977.
United Nations Secretary-General (2019). Note to Correspondents: High-Level Meeting on Mali and the Co-chairs’ summary.
United Nations Peacekeeping (2019). Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.