Moscow pledges military support for Mali, denies ties to mercenary group Wagner
Moscow vowed on Thursday to continue military cooperation with Mali and defend the territorial integrity of the Sahel state while denying any ties to Russian military contractors in the country.
The Kremlin came under scrutiny earlier this year by France and Germany for an informed agreement to send 1,000 fighters from the Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenary group to the conflict-ravaged state.
“We realize the need to support Mali’s ability to combat terrorism,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during talks in Moscow with his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop.
“We provide the country with the necessary equipment, weapons and ammunition. We will do whatever is necessary to avoid threats to the statehood and territorial integrity of Mali,” Lavrov said.
He said that questions about the role of Russian mercenaries in the country should be directed to the Malian authorities and that military initiatives established by private Russian citizens are not an official matter of Moscow.
“With regard to reports on the Malian government’s plans to request the services of a Russian PMC (private military contractor) … this issue is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the legitimate Malian government,” Lavrov said.
“If these contracts are concluded with legitimate governments of sovereign states, I do not understand what can be considered negative in this regard,” he added.
The reports about the Wagner deal came as France prepares to close bases in Mali, where its army has been fighting an Islamist insurgency since 2013.
The obscure military equipment has been linked to conflicts in Ukraine, Africa and the Middle East. He is believed to be close to President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of abuses.
Diop said Thursday that he had told French officials that there was no contract with Wagner, but stressed that “Mali will not allow any state or organization to tell us with whom we have the right to communicate and with whom we do not.”
Mali, a poor and landlocked nation that is home to at least 20 ethnic groups, is battling jihadist attacks and intercommunal violence, which often spreads to neighboring countries.
(AFP)
