Mali

Add U.S. military officials to the crescendo of voices warning Mali's interim government against brokering any deal to use mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group to help with security and counterterrorism.

The UN Secretary-General has condemned an attack against peacekeepers in Mali on Saturday which left one Egyptian ‘blue helmet’ dead, and four others seriously injured.

[…] This report maps Europe’s security assistance approach in the G5 Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. It analyses its political drivers, risks and impacts, and identifies lessons and recommendations in response.

Mali's interim government appears ready to cast aside long-standing counterterrorism partnerships with the United States and France, saying that both countries have failed to make Mali any safer. But at the same time, Mali's prime minister says reports of a deal to bring in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group are just "rumors and allegations."

At the UN General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hit out at France for opposing the deployment of Russian mercenaries in Mali, and slammed the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday criticized France as he confirmed that Mali sought the help of a private Russian military company.

An estimated 3,000 Malians marched Wednesday through the streets of Bamako on the country's day of independence from France. Protesters, many of whom were against what they perceive as "foreign meddling," marched in support of the military government, as Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali's interim president, faced pressure from Western governments to cancel a deal with Russian security firm Wagner.

Successive coups in August 2020 and May 2021 have thrown Mali into turmoil as violence persists in rural areas. While their track record so far has been disappointing, the transitional authorities can still materialise the call for change and hold transparent general elections in 2022.

European Union ties with Mali could be seriously affected if it allows Russian private military contractors to operate in the country, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Monday (20 September).

The head of the Islamic State group in the Sahara has been killed by French troops, President Emmanuel Macron has said. … Mr Macron called Sahrawi's death "another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel".