Germany and partners accuse Mali of recruiting mercenaries

Created: 12/24/2021Updated: 12/24/2021, 4:06 AM

The German military is present in Mali as part of the UN peace mission Minusma and the EU training mission EUTM.

© Michael Kappeler / dpa

The rulers in Mali have long been accused of wanting to hire Russian mercenaries.

Now Germany and 15 other countries seem to have evidence of this.

That could have serious consequences.

Berlin - Around seven months after the most recent military coup in Mali, Germany, France, Great Britain and other countries have accused the rulers in the West African crisis state of bringing mercenaries from the Russian company Wagner into the country.

"We (...) strongly condemn the stationing of mercenary troops on Malian territory," said a joint statement published by the Federal Foreign Office.

They regret "the decision of the Malian interim government to use scarce public funds to pay foreign mercenaries".

Such a mercenary deployment should also rekindle the debate about the deployment of the German armed forces in Mali.

The German military is present there as part of the UN peace mission Minusma and the EU training mission EUTM - most recently with slightly more than 1,350 soldiers.

The EU states had openly threatened the country with an end to military and civilian engagement in the event of an order for the Russian company Wagner.

In the joint declaration by a total of 16 countries, it was said that they were aware that the Russian government was providing material support for the Wagner Group being sent to Mali.

They called on Russia to "return to responsible and constructive behavior in the region".

Canada, Italy, Spain, Norway and Sweden have also signed up.

Political situation in Mali has been unstable for years

There was initially no reaction from the Malian government.

She had long been accused of negotiating with Russian actors.

In May, the military overthrew a transitional government in the former French colony with around 20 million inhabitants, which was supposed to be in office until the 2022 presidential election.

Putschist leader Assimi Goita was then proclaimed the new interim president.

A transition period for new elections runs until February 2022.

Mali has seen three military coups since 2012 and is politically extremely unstable.

Islamist terrorist groups have been troubling the country for years.

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A possible deployment of Wagner in Mali had already caused a stir.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed in September that the Malian government had contacted the Russian mercenary company.

You have also done this with a view to your own personal protection, it said.

However, the transitional government called this a rumor.

Criticism from Lambrecht

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) said on Twitter: "We consider the decision of those responsible in Mali to bring mercenaries into the country to be wrong and express our regret." She expressed her conviction that this step was not appropriate for the security situation in the country to improve. “We will now coordinate closely with our international partners on how to proceed and our commitment in Mali. The safety of our soldiers has the highest priority. "

The Mali mission has been under discussion for a long time in Germany because of the tense situation in the country.

At the beginning of December, the defense policy spokeswoman for the Greens parliamentary group, Agnieszka Brugger, stated that political reforms and compliance with the transitional timetable were required for further support for the country.

The two Bundeswehr mandates for Mali under the umbrella of the EU and the UN were extended in the spring.

In the coming spring, the new Bundestag, led by the traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP, will have to decide on another extension.

The three parties had agreed to review all foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr.

dpa