France, associated with fourteen other countries, believes, for the first time officially, that Russian “mercenaries” began to take foot in Mali. But Paris ensures, for the time being, that he will not withdraw his soldiers.
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After more than three months of rumors and pressures that seem to have been vain, the French authorities considered, Thursday, December 23, that a number of material elements allowed them to formally assert that the controversial Wagner Group – Judged close to Kremlin and never appeared legally – had started a beginning of “mercenary deployment” in Mali. An unexpected position on the form – a joint communiqué of fifteen countries – and perilous on the merits, a relative uncertainty remaining on the profile and intentions of men in uniform observed in Mali in recent days.
“We, international partners, resolved to support Mali (…), firmly condemn the deployment of mercenaries in Malian territory,” says the communiqué co-signed by Canada and all European countries involved in a way or from another to Mali – Whether for training (such as Germany), material support (such as the United Kingdom) or in “Takuba”, this special forces coalition of ten states, including the Estonia, Belgium, and Italy.
The signatories of the text regret “the decision of the Malian transition authorities to use public funds already limited to reward foreign mercenaries”. They also clearly target Russia, responsible, according to them, “of material support for the deployment of the Wagner group”, and call Moscow “to behave responsibly”. The Communiqué reminds the sanctions taken on 13 December by the European Union in this respect against eight people and three companies related to the Wagner group.
Suspicious aerial rotations
The reasons for the concern of Paris and its partners have been specified, Thursday, by government sources. They mainly concern “military type facilities allowing the reception of a significant number of mercenaries”. Means deployed “urgently”, “at Bamako airport”, added these sources, indicating that “when ordering a large amount of food (…) is that we expect a reception near the short term. ” “The whole operation has been the subject of air transfers involving means of the Russian armed forces and has been supervised locally by operators of the Wagner group,” they emphasized.
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