Can the UN:s Stabilizing Mission in Mali be Described as a COIN-operation?

The UN Security Council established on the 25th of April, 2013; The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. The mission was authorized a strong mandate by the Security Council to carry out its tasks and to protects its mandate. Despite the mission’s strong mandate, violence on civilians has not reduced which has led to a debate on whether the UN can handle the situation in Mali. This study tries to examine whether MINUSMA can be described according to David Kilcullens conceptualisation of a COIN-operation in three pillars of counterinsurgency, by doing so this study hopes to give theoretical insight and enable a way of understanding the goals and means of the mission in Mali more than the stabilizing mandate does. The result of the analysis shows that MINUSMA can be described as a COIN-operation in large extent, mainly in the areas of cooperation, information and security. The result also shows that even if MINUSMA doesn´t work directly in the area of politics & economics they support both direct and indirect other agencies that does, thereby giving theoretical insight to the mission in Mali