Mali denied any deployment of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner on Friday, December 24. The arrival of the Russians was announced and denounced Thursday by fifteen Western powers involved in the anti-jihadist fight in this Sahelian country. The Malian government “Brings a formal denial to these allegations” on “An alleged deployment of elements of a private security company”, in a statement released Friday evening.
He “Requires evidence to be brought to it by independent sources” and “Would like to point out that, like the European training mission (EUTM), Russian trainers are present in Mali as part of the strengthening of the operational capacities of the national defense and security forces”.
Bamako asks “To be judged on acts rather than on rumors and wishes to recall that the Malian state is only engaged in a state-to-state partnership with the Russian Federation, its historical partner”, in this press release signed by the government spokesperson, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, also Minister of Territorial Administration.
France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, the United Kingdom and Sweden called on Russia on Thursday to behave constructively and responsibly in the Sahel region.
“Foreign mercenaries”
“We deeply regret the decision of the Malian transitional authorities to use already limited public funds to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting the Malian armed forces and public services for the benefit of the Malian people., estimated these countries in a press release. We are aware of the involvement of the Government of the Russian Federation in providing material support for the deployment of the Wagner Group in Mali and call on Russia to adopt to behave responsibly and constructively in the region. “
Western concerns mainly concern “Military type installations allowing the reception of a significant number of mercenaries”, according to government sources. Means deployed “Urgently”, “at Bamako airport”, added these sources. “The whole of this operation was the subject of air transfers involving means of the Russian armed forces and was supervised locally by operators of the Wagner Group”, they stressed.
Russia and the transitional government in power in Bamako – resulting from two successive coups d’état, in August 2020 and in May 2021 – have been showing for several months their willingness to strengthen their bilateral military cooperation. Four Russian helicopters were delivered on September 30 on the tarmac at the airport in the Malian capital, in the presence of the Minister of Defense, Colonel Sadio Camara, trained in Russia.
The deployment of Russian mercenaries has so far been a red line for Paris. The fifteen signatory countries of the press release, however, reaffirmed their “Determination to continue [leur] action to protect civilians, support the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and help build long-term stability ”.
Mali has been the scene since 2012 of operations by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization, as well as violence perpetrated by “Self-defense militias” and bandits. The regular forces are themselves accused of abuses.