Paper short abstract:

This paper explores Security Force Assistance to Mali, which is provided by several different actors and given to a diverse set of recipients among branches of the government security apparatus. This fragmentation results in ineffectiveness and has adverse negative consequences for people in Mali.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the complex reality of Security Force Assistance (SFA) to Mali. The provision of SFA is currently presented by many commentators and governments in the global North as a panacea for the various threats and problems in the global South. Training and equipping the police, border guard and military forces in weak states are expected to bring stability, control illegal immigration, and stop terror and crime networks. Based on field research and a comprehensive analysis of documentary evidence the authors find that in Mali, SFA is provided by several different actors and given to a diverse set of recipients among branches of the government security apparatus. Thus, multiple providers and uncoordinated implementation muddle objectives and may serve to fragment an already loosely assembled recipient state and its armed forces. It is likely that increased focus on security assistance from foreign states impacts civil-military relations in Mali as it bolsters the relative strength of the army and its officers vis-à-vis their civilian leaders. Also, the need for foreign donors to achieve quick solutions to immediate security threats might result in by-passing of the civilian leadership. The implication is that SFA to a fragmented weak state such as Mali appears to exacerbate the problems the assistance is meant to solve.