The French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly affirmed, Monday, September 20, in Mali, the determination of Paris to continue its engagement there, without obtaining assurances from the government dominated by the military on a possible cooperation with the Russian group Wagner.

The international community is also concerned about the reluctance shown by the colonels, who overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on August 18, 2020, to organize elections to return power to civilians in February 2022.

During her meeting with the Malian Minister of Defense, Colonel Sadio Camara, Florence Parly said that she addressed the Wagner issue and "insisted on the fact that at a time when the international community has never been so numerous to fight the terrorism (in the Sahel), such a choice would be that of isolation ".

"Everyone must be well aware of the consequences" of cooperation with Russian society, she told reporters on the plane that brought her back to France, specifying that Colonel Camara had assured her that no decision was made. had not yet been finalized.

Risk of deterioration of relations between the EU and Bamako

In the entourage of the Malian Minister of Defense, it is confirmed to AFP "that no act has been done with Wagner. No act".

The minister explained to his French counterpart that "the abandonment of France made it necessary to consider everything to secure the country", according to this source.

To which Florence Parly replied that "France was not abandoning Mali", it was specified.

For his part, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned of the risk of a deterioration in relations between the EU and Bamako in the event of the involvement in Mali of the Russian private group Wagner.

"This would seriously affect the relationship between the EU and Mali," he said.

France and Germany had warned last week that resorting to Wagner to train the Malian armed forces and ensure the protection of the leaders would call into question their military engagement in Mali.

The Malian government retorted that it would not allow "any state to make choices for it, and even less to decide which partners it can call on or not".

This trip by Florence Parly, started Sunday in Niger, aimed in particular to expose to the countries concerned the reorganization by France, initiated in January 2013 in the Sahel, of its device in favor of a tightened presence, centered on the targeted strikes against the chiefs. and jihadist executives and support for local armies.

"Decisive blow"

"For eight years, France has chosen to be continuously alongside Mali, to win but also to suffer with it," said Florence Parly after her meeting with her counterpart, with particular reference to her 50 soldiers killed in action.

"It is time to change our system", she said, while the evacuation of the bases of Kidal, Tessalit and Timbuktu is scheduled for a refocusing on the "zone of the three borders", on the borders of Niger and Burkina Faso.

But France, aware that the situation "remains fragile" in terms of security, "remains determined to work with the Malians to continue this struggle which unites us", assured the minister.

"We are not leaving Mali," she insisted.

At the same time, four Malian soldiers were killed by the explosion of a device in the center of the country, near the border with Burkina Faso, when a convoy of medical evacuation of an officer wounded in a previous one passed. attack, according to the Malian army.

"We remain present and we have just proven it again in the three border zone", also recalled the French minister, qualifying as a "decisive blow" dealt to the group Islamic State in the great Sahara (EIGS) the death in mid -August, but announced last week, by its leader Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui.

In this region regularly affected by attacks, the presence of jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) or the EIGS has been grafted on long-standing tensions between communities, as well as on the shortcomings and state failures.

"We need to make sure that there is a will here in Mali to support ECOWAS to bring this process of political transition to a successful conclusion, this return to democracy, good governance and justice, which alone are capable of create the springs that will allow Mali to face the challenges of Islamist terrorism, "also declared Florence Parly.

The ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States, 15 countries) warned that the February deadline was "non-negotiable" and requires the transitional authorities by the end of October , a calendar of essential steps before the elections.

French troops in the Sahel should increase from more than 5,000 men currently to “2,500 or 3,000” by 2023, according to the general staff.

With AFP

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