A Malian delegation expected in Nouakchott following the disappearance of Mauritanians

Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop is to lead the delegation expected this Friday in Nouakchott.

AFP - BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

Text by: RFI Follow

3 mins

A high-level Malian mission is expected in Nouakchott on Friday, according to a note verbale from the Malian embassy in Mauritania.

This visit comes a few days after Mauritania's accusations against the Malian army, accused of "recurring crimes" against its nationals.

And this after the disappearance of dozens of Mauritanian breeders in Malian territory.

Local sources on the Mauritanian side say they were killed by Malian soldiers.

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It is a muscular delegation which will go to Nouakchott: made up of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Territorial Administration, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Director of Malian Intelligence.

According to the note, this mission aims to “

 ”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs therefore requests a meeting with the Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

This situation is uncomfortable for both parties.

►Also read: Concern in Mauritania about several nationals missing at the Malian border

On the one hand, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is pressed by his public opinion, very shocked by these security incidents.

A

and human rights associations are demanding accountability.

On the other hand, Mali under terrorist pressure strongly supports its army.

But the country is also under economic sanctions from ECOWAS.

However, the Mauritanian border represents one of the last entry points for goods on its territory.

The Malian authorities will therefore have to submit to a difficult balancing act.

In a press release published Wednesday evening, the government spokesperson in any case affirmed that for the time being, "

" in this affair.

This is the third security incident in two months, which strikes Mauritanians in their neighbor.

The Malian authorities

.

Usually there is normal traffic between the two countries.

Mauritania and Mali have always lived in symbiosis, since the first years of independence.

Mohamed Abdellahi Taleb Abeidy Ould Dada, director of the Mauritanian Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Nouakchott

Laurent Correau

The Fama and Wagner present in the drama zone

For several weeks, this region has been experiencing renewed activity by the Fama, the Malian armed forces, with their Russian partners from the private company Wagner.

There are several dozen Wagner fighters to intervene in western Mali, on the Mauritanian border.

According to several French security sources, they arrived on March 1, accompanied by Malian soldiers.

French intelligence reports of “

” carried out by the Fama in the Nampala region, not far from the Mauritanian border, and count around thirty civilian victims.

Joint Wagner/Fama operations continue, today causing population displacements.

On the spot, local sources affirm that routes are imposed on the breeders and traders who come and go on both sides of the border.

Some speak of checkpoints between Timbuktu and Nara.

Measures that would aim to “

” the border.

As for the resurgence of violence against the Mauritanians, “ 

analyzes a connoisseur of armed groups in the region.

»

According to our information, during the month of March, two Russian planes from Libya brought in new Wagner fighters, which would be around 1,000 today.

►Also read: Mali will open an investigation into accusations of disappearances of Mauritanian nationals

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• mali

• Mauritania