Wagner case: the European Union puts pressure on Mali
The head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrell.
Angela Weiss AFP / Archivos
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
After Paris and Berlin, it is the turn of the European Union to worry about a possible agreement between Mali and the Russian private security group Wagner.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, indeed spoke briefly on the subject, this Tuesday, September 21, 2021 in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
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If he used the conditional, indicating "as
far as I know, no decision has yet been taken
", Josep Borrell was nevertheless very clear: "
It seems that the transitional authorities are discussing the possibility of inviting the group Wagner to operate in the country. We are well aware of how this group behaves in different parts of the world, it would seriously affect the relationship between the EU and Mali
. "
The European Union has been active, in particular through the EUTM mission in training the Malian armed forces since 2013,
thus
joining
France
and Germany in putting pressure on the Malian authorities. Paris and Berlin have warned that resorting to the Wagner group to train the Malian armed forces and ensure the protection of the leaders would call into question their military commitment.
While in Bamako this Monday,
the French Minister of Defense
, Florence Parly, confirmed France's determination to continue its commitment.
His Malian counterpart, Colonel Sadio Camara, who indicated that the reduction of the French military presence in Mali "made it
necessary to consider everything to secure the country
" nevertheless confirmed "that
no action was taken with Wagner
".
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