A/HRC/25/72 social and cultural consequences. The epicentre of the crisis is in the north of the country, where for many years the weak State presence has made possible the emergence of a whole range of criminal enterprises, drug trafficking and smuggling of migrants to Europe, lucrative abductions for ransom, and the illegal circulation of weapons and goods of various kinds from neighbouring countries. 9. It was in that environment that on 17 January 2012, armed groups such as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the Ansar Dine, Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) occupied the north of the country, a development which was accompanied by serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law as well as major population displacements from the north to other regions in Mali or to neighbouring countries. 10. On 21 March 2012, a mutiny at the Kati military barracks led to the overthrow of the regime of General Amadou Toumani Touré, although he was at the end of his term of office. A group of non-commissioned officers led by Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo suspended the constitutional order and the democratic process in the country. This situation divided the political class and civil society, undermined the country’s economy and fragmented the defence and security forces. In April–May 2012, violent clashes broke out in Bamako between the “red berets” and the “green berets” of the Malian army, resulting in several persons killed, wounded or missing. The red berets, supporters of Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo, suspected the red berets, loyal to General Amadou Toumani Touré, of fomenting a counter-coup against the military junta. 11. The framework agreement of 6 April 2012, signed under the auspices of ECOWAS, resulted in the establishment of transitional institutions under interim President Dioncounda Traoré. After a brief period in power, the military junta withdrew to Kati barracks, near Bamako, while retaining considerable influence in the Transition Government and the defence and security forces. The intervention of the French army in January 2013 in Operation Serval, in support of African troops, halted the offensive of armed jihadi groups towards the south and liberated localities in the north of the country. 12. On 18 June 2013, the Transition Government and the armed groups of northern Mali (MNLA, the Supreme Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA), the Arab Movement of Azawad and the Patriotic Forces of Resistance) signed a preliminary agreement in Ouagadougou on presidential elections and inclusive peace negotiations in Mali, and presidential elections were held on 28 July and 11 August 2013 throughout the country. The elections were an essential step towards resolving the crisis in Mali, restoring constitutional order and strengthening the legitimacy of the State. Despite many challenges associated with a tight election schedule and a fragile security context, the elections were held in satisfactory conditions and in a peaceful climate, and with an exceptional level of participation of 48 per cent. On 12 August 2013, Soumaïla Cissé conceded defeat and went to the home of President-Elect Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta to congratulate him. 13. In his inaugural address, the President of Mali declared that a settlement of the problem of the north continued to be the most pressing priority. As soon as it was established on 8 September 2013, the new Government adopted a number of measures to promote inter- and intra-communal dialogue and engage with the armed groups and other actors in the crisis in the north, including through the organization in Bamako of national consultations on decentralization from 21 to 23 October 2013 and a national conference on the north from 1 to 3 November 2013. 14. The electoral process was completed with the holding of legislative elections on 24 November and 15 December 2013. Approximately 6.5 million voters were called upon to vote in order to build on efforts to restore the constitutional order and State institutions. GE.14-10118 5