Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XIX) Page 2 “The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 327th meeting held on 14 July 2012, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Republic of Mali: Council, 1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Mali [PSC/AHG/3(CCCXXVII)]. Council ALSO TAKES NOTE of the statements made by the current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the ECOWAS Mediator, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the United Nations, and by the core countries, namely Mauritania, Niger and Algeria, as well as by South Africa and Togo, as AU Member States in the United Nations Security Council; 2. RECALLS its earlier communiqués on the situation in Mali; 3. REAFFIRMS the unflinching commitment of the AU and that of all its Member States to the national unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Mali, which cannot be the subject of any discussion or negotiation, and Africa's determination to spare no effort to ensure their preservation. Council ALSO REAFFIRMS the AU's utter rejection of terrorism and the recourse to armed rebellion to further political demands; 4. EXPRESSES ITS DEEP CONCERN at the seriousness of the situation in northern Mali, marked by the increasing consolidation of control of the region by the armed, terrorist and criminal groups. Council NOTES WITH CONCERN the presence in northern Mali of different armed and terrorist groups, such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar Dine, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) and Boko Haram. Council FURTHER NOTES that this situation poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security and, as such, calls for urgent and effective action by the entire international community; 5. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the violations of human rights perpetrated by the various armed, terrorist and criminal groups which occupy the northern part of Mali, and the senseless and unacceptable destruction of the cultural, spiritual and historical heritage of this region, notably in Timbuktu, which is a serious violation of international law, and URGES that the perpetrators be brought to justice before the relevant international jurisdictions. Council ALSO NOTES the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region, and STRESSES the need for urgent action to allow the delivery of food aid to the affected populations. Council REITERATES THE GRATITUDE of the AU to