Mali has denied any deployment of mercenaries from the sulphurous Russian paramilitary group Wagner, announced by some fifteen Western powers involved in the anti-jihadist fight in this Sahelian country.
Read also Mali: Westerners condemn Wagner's "deployment of mercenaries" and Russia's involvement
The government of Mali "
brings a formal denial to these baseless allegations
" on "
an alleged deployment of elements of a private security company in Mali
," he said in a statement released Friday evening.
About fifteen Western powers announced Thursday, December 23 in a press release the deployment in Mali, with the help of Moscow, of the Wagner group, denouncing the involvement of these mercenaries who are already operating in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and in several sub-Saharan African country.
Read also On the internet, Wagner's campaign has begun
The Malian government "
demands that it be brought to it by independent sources
" of the presence of this group, affirms the statement signed by the government spokesperson, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, also Minister of Territorial Administration.
He "
wishes 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
", further asserts the Malian government.
communicated.
Thursday, several Western countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada, had "
strongly condemned the deployment of mercenaries on Malian territory
", and denounced "
the involvement of the government of the Russian Federation in the provision of material support for the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali
”.
Read alsoThe Central African Republic, protectorate of Wagner's Russian paramilitaries
"
We call on Russia to behave in a responsible and constructive manner in the region
", insisted the press release also signed by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania and Sweden.
These countries are engaged alongside France in the new European grouping of special forces Takuba, intended to accompany Malian soldiers in combat.
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"Russians are welcome": Malians welcome Wagner's deployment
Red line
The deployment of Russian mercenaries has so far been a red line for Paris.
The 15 signatory countries of the communiqué, however, reaffirmed their "
determination to continue (their) action to protect civilians, to support the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and to help establish long-term stability
".
Read also In Mali, France resists Wagner's mercenaries
"
Today, we can see on the spot repeated air rotations with military transport planes belonging to the Russian army, installations at Bamako airport allowing the reception of a significant number of mercenaries, frequent visits of executives. from Wagner to Bamako and the activities of Russian geologists known for their proximity to Wagner,
”a French government source indicated.
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For Jean-Yves Le Drian, "it is not possible that Wagner comes to Mali"
On Wednesday 22 December, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already warned Mali against financial consequences and destabilization of the country, already in the throes of violence, if the government recruited the Wagner group.
The United States, followed by the European Union on Monday, imposed sanctions on the group suspected of being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mali has been the scene since 2012 of operations by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as violence perpetrated by “
self-defense militias
” and bandits.
The regular forces are themselves accused of abuses.
Read alsoThese mercenaries of "Wagner" who allow Russia to extend its influence
The violence that started in the north in 2012 spread to the center, then to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
They killed thousands of civilians and soldiers as well as hundreds of thousands of displaced people, despite the deployment of UN, French and African forces.
The seizure of power in Bamako by the military following a putsch in 2020 has not stopped the spiral of violence.
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