Mali: Federal government warns against cooperation with Russian mercenary group "Wagner"

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Dangerous use: The Bundeswehr has been involved in a stabilization mission in Mali for several years

Photo: Joerg Boethling / imago images

The federal government is increasing the pressure on Mali's government not to sign a contract with the notorious Russian mercenary troop "Wagner".

During a meeting with the Malian envoy Matiné Coulibaly, scheduled by the Foreign Office on Monday, the head of the AA's Sahel department warned that the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali would certainly have negative consequences for the engagement of the United Nations and the EU in it the crisis country have.

The AA had already terminated the conversation with the envoy of Mali at the end of last week.

Officially, the ministry did not speak of an appointment, but only of an invitation.

Nonetheless, diplomats said that the meeting in Berlin and a formal protest note to the Malian Foreign Ministry wanted to create a threat.

The situation is serious.

Germany will not accept any form of presence of the "Wagner" group in Mali, according to the line of the federal government agreed with France.

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So far, the federal government has no details of the possible liason between the "Wagner" group and the Malian interim government led by the putschist Assimi Goita.

At a confidential briefing for security politicians at the end of last week, AA State Secretary Miguel Berger merely explained that, according to German findings, the transitional government was talking to the private militia about both robust personal protection for the government and the training of Malian units.

Very unstable despite international military presence

The "Wagner" group is known to the federal government.

The militia, which is led by a close confidante of President Vladimir Putin, has been active in many trouble spots around the world for years.

In Syria, for example, mercenaries secured Russian bases and oil wells.

The militiamen were also on duty in Ukraine and Libya.

Not only in Berlin is it assumed that Putin will use the "Wagner" group or at least tolerate its operations if he intervenes in a state but does not want to send his own troops.

Moscow could pursue a similar calculation in Mali.

For years the country has been more than unstable despite the UN mission "Minusma" and various EU projects to build up local security forces.

There are also various terrorist groups operating in the north of the country who work with people smugglers and drug dealers.

Since France's intervention in 2013, none of the various governments in Bamako has been able to hold out for long.

The military has already staged coups twice because of this.

It is precisely in this vacuum, so the concern in Berlin, that Putin could now want to push.

With the offer of a Russian presence, according to the presumed calculation, Moscow would have influence in Mali and could, for example, support the transitional government in Bamako that has been established by the military.

Just the fact that Berlin and Paris are now reacting in alarm to reports of a possible contract with the "Wagner" group should please Putin very much, Mali experts said.

"Absolutely contrary to our interests"

State Secretary Berger said it was certainly not Moscow's wish to stabilize Mali with the use of the "Wagner" group. Instead, as in Syria or Libya, it is only a matter of asserting Russian interests and exposing the West. For this calculation, it is in Moscow's interest that terrorist groups can develop in Mali and neighboring countries instead of being restricted. According to the top diplomat, all of this is "absolutely contrary to our interests."

What the mercenaries should do in Mali is still unclear.

In diplomatic circles there is a rumor that it is about a small troop of 1000 men.

On the one hand, this should provide personal protection for President Goïta.

This alone would give Russia exclusive access to the power system of the transitional government.

Goita also meets with the German ambassador in Bamako, but a kind of palace guard would offer Russia completely different options.

Cryptic declaration from Bamako

In addition to Berlin, Paris in particular has sent very clear signals to Mali's government. If it came to the contract with the "Wagner" group, they wanted to withdraw their own troops from the country. So far, France has been heavily involved in Mali. Apart from the UN Minusma mission, Paris is conducting the only robust anti-terrorist mission with Operation Barkhane. Only last week it was announced that they had killed a senior terrorist. However, France wants to significantly reduce its commitment.

This is another reason why it is difficult to say whether the pressure will bring anything.

The government in Bamako issued a cryptic statement on Monday.

It was initially condemned that the African community of states Ecowas had interfered.

At the same time, however, the statement said that the reports about a possible contract with the "Wagner" group had so far only been based on rumors.

A change in the situation in Mali would be quite relevant for Germany.

The Bundeswehr is currently involved with around 1,000 men in the UN mission in the north of the country and is also providing soldiers for the EU training mission "EUTM", which is actually supposed to be expanded.

However, given recent developments, its use is controversial.

In the briefing for the Bundestag on the EU mission, the federal government announced that it should be thoroughly evaluated in the next few months and that a corresponding report would be presented for discussion of a new mandate.