[ad_1]
Le Drian says Russian Wagner companies are exploiting the country’s resources in exchange for backing the military government.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has accused Russia of a private military contract Wagner team To plunder Mali’s resources increased stresses In recent weeks between Paris and the country’s military governments, there has been talk, among other things, about the fate of European forces deployed to fight armed groups in the region.
Last week, the U.S. military estimated that Wagner had hundreds of workers in the Sahel state, but the country’s military has denied it.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since the Mali army was led by Colonel Assimi Goita. he staged a coup August 2020.
France has thousands of troops in its former colonial state in the Sahel, and is struggling to resist the uprising that erupted in 2012.
Wagner’s mercenaries are “former Russian soldiers, armed by Russia and assisted by Russian logistics,” Le Drian said.
“It simply came to our notice then. They are ruining Mali, ”he told the Journal du Dimanche in a statement issued on Sunday.
The United Nations, France and local groups say the Wagner Group is also present in the Central African Republic.
“Wagner is using the weakness of some states to establish himself … to strengthen Russia’s influence in Africa,” Le Drian added, although he said he did not want to replace Europeans in the region.
The French foreign minister did not say what would happen to the Mali with a European force deployed to fight armed groups in the area. expelling a contingent of Danish troops this week.
“We’re talking to our partners to see what kind of response is needed,” Le Drian said.
“The fight against terrorism must continue, but probably under different conditions,” he added.
When asked if that meant getting out of Mali, he replied, “I didn’t say that.”
On Friday, Mali’s foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop said the country’s military-dominated government did not “rule anything out” about its relations with France.
[ad_2]
Source link
