Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the formal commitments taken yesterday in Algiers and today in Bamako to advance lasting peace and reconciliation in Mali. We urge all Malian parties to sign the Accord to underscore their concrete commitment to peace and to continue to engage constructively to implement the Accord.

We commend the Government of Mali for its commitment to the peace process and its openness to dialogue. We also thank the Government of Algeria for the leading mediation role it has played in the peace process as well as the efforts made by the International Mediation Team.

We are deeply concerned by ongoing reports of fighting, and we call on all parties to respect the existing cease-fire agreements and commit to resolving differences through dialogue.

The United States remains committed to helping the Malian people as they work to achieve a durable peace. We reiterate our support to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and its efforts to assist the Malian people to consolidate peace.