Thursday, December 23, 2021
Germany and allies
16 states condemn the use of mercenaries in Mali
The Wagner group is known as “Russia’s shadow army”. A number of Western countries have made a joint statement that the leadership in Mali has decided to cooperate with the troops. They also appeal to Moscow, which denies any connection with the mercenaries.
Germany and 15 other western countries have condemned the deployment of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner troop in Mali, West Africa. In a statement they accused Russia of providing material support to the troops. The signatories include Canada, France and the UK, among others. For the first time it is confirmed by them that despite the warnings to the government in Bamako, Wagner mercenaries are still on duty. The security situation in West Africa could only worsen as a result and also threaten to worsen the human rights situation.
Western governments regretted the Malian government’s decision to use “already scarce public funds” to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting the Malian armed forces. The Western powers urged Russia to return to “responsible and constructive” behavior. The US was not among the signatories. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a warning to the Malian government earlier this month.
The news agency Reuters had previously reported, citing insiders, that Mali was about to receive an order from the Wagner Group. The mercenaries are supposed to train the Malian military and protect government officials. The Wagner group is known as “Russia’s shadow army”, but Moscow denies any connection with it. More than a dozen people with links to Wagner had previously told Reuters that the group had carried out covert operations in Ukraine, Libya and Syria with the approval of the Russian government. Russia denies this. In November, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected French concerns about the use of mercenaries in Mail.
The African country is currently ruled by the military, the promised return to democracy has not materialized. In Mali, Malian, French and European armed forces as well as UN peacekeeping forces are fighting against insurgents linked to the extremist militia Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda. Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions of people have fled as a result of their attacks in recent years. The Bundeswehr has deployed 1,050 soldiers as part of the UN peacekeeping force Minusma in Mali. Another 350 soldiers from Germany are participating in a European training mission.
Lambrecht: Will coordinate closely with partners
A possible deployment of Wagner in Mali had already caused a stir. The EU member states had openly threatened the country with an end to military and civilian engagement in this case. Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Twitter: “We regard the decision of those responsible in Mali to bring mercenaries into the country to be wrong and we expressly regret it.” She expressed her conviction that this step would not be suitable for improving the security situation in the country. “We will now coordinate closely with our international partners on how to proceed and our engagement in Mali. The security of our soldiers has the highest priority.”
Mali, with around 20 million inhabitants, has seen three military coups since 2012 and is considered politically extremely unstable. Since the most recent coup in May, the country has been led by a military transitional government. Islamist terror groups have been troubling the unstable crisis state for years.