France and its allies rejected the deployment of Russian mercenaries in Mali

French forces from Barkhane patrol the streets of Timbuktu, Mali, on Wednesday, September 29, 2021

France, Canada and 14 member countries of the European Union repudiated the advance of men from the Wagner company, whose owner is an oligarch related to Vladimir Putin in a statement published by the French Foreign Ministry. “This can only accentuate the degradation of the security situation in West Africa and aggravate the human rights situation,” they said in the letter, where they also accuse the Russian state of being involved.

The situation in the Sahel, a territory where France had deployed a military presence to work for the stability of the countries of the region and to expel terrorist groups, has become tense in recent days, after mercenaries of Russian origin entered Mali .

These unflagged soldiers belong to the Wagner group, a company owned by Yevgeni Prigozhin – a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin – and which has had a presence in armed civil conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya in recent years. Western governments and members of the UN pointed out that the company carried out human rights violations at the sites it intervened.

In a statement signed by Canada and allies of the European Union such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Italy, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the decision of the Malian transitional authorities to allow the deployment of the Wagner Group. “We deeply regret the choice to use already scarce public funds to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting the Malian Armed Forces,” the letter reads.

In addition, he accused Russia of being involved in this outpost on the African country by providing financing for the company’s private soldiers: “We are aware of the participation of the Russian Government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali.” They also called on Moscow to “return to responsible and constructive behavior.”

The one who responded from Russia was Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – detaching his country from any participation in these events. In addition, it alleged that the company has its “legitimate” right to have a presence in Mali since it was at an invitation from the transitional government.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a dialogue on good terms with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, December 21, to dissuade him. Meanwhile, he also pointed out to the Malian leaders that accepting the presence of Russian mercenaries could lead to the end of relations.

Governmentally, Mali has been navigating troubled waters for months after having suffered two coups in just nine months, in addition to attempts to contain extremist insurgents since 2012, something that could not have been achieved without French military operations. Despite not being fully expelled, Islamic incursions have lessened.

Colonel Assimi Goita took office in June 2021 as president of a transitional government of Mali, after having completed his second coup in a short period of time, promising to soon give way to an elected Executive in the elections scheduled for February.

However, the instability of the African country fosters fears that this vote will be postponed or not carried out. Currently, the West African member is on the fringes of the international community since the junta took power.

The withdrawal of France in the Sahel

Gallic military have inhabited the West African area since the beginning of the last decade. Since 2013 they have settled in Mali to expel Islamic extremists from the north of the country. Later, this project was extended to other nations in the region, such as Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

However, since last July, after the announcement by President Emmanuel Macron, it is stipulated that French troops are reduced in the Sahel, in the midst of a political crisis in Mali and still with the shadow of the jihadists present. This attitude opened the space for the Wagner Group to enter into talks with the African transitional government.

Although the Head of State of France had said that the Malian military was trained to combat the threats that haunt the north of the country, he retracted and promised his partners that aid will continue to confront the groups linked to Al-Qaeda. and the Islamic State.