At least 500 Russian paramilitaries from the Wagner group arrived in Mali
More than 500 paramilitaries from Wagner have arrived in Mali, according to several securit sources contacted by ‘Financial Afrik’. “We are confirming the arrival of 500 Russian troops,” a security source confirmed on condition of anonymity. Some Malian media reported on Thursday that these soldiers will be deployed in 10 localities in the country.
These events take place as 15 countries, including France and Germany, “strongly condemned the deployment of mercenaries on Malian territory,” in a statement released Thursday, December 23.
In addition, the 15 countries recalled that they will not give up their “efforts to meet the needs of the Malian population” and reaffirm their will “to protect civilians, to support the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and to contribute to establish long-term stability by supporting sustainable development, respect for human rights and the deployment of public services ”.
The signatory countries of the joint communiqué are Germany, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania , the United Kingdom and Sweden. Who explained that they had taken note of “the involvement of the government of the Russian Federation in providing material support for the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali” and called on “Russia to adopt” responsible and constructive behavior in the region ” .
For the moment, neither the authorities of Russia, let alone those of Mali have confirmed or denied the arrival of these 500 soldiers from the Wagner group, whose fifteen countries 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.
