A UN expert warned that the jihadists now control 3 quarters of the country of Mali, while a French newspaper reported that Wagner mercenaries are at the front line to confront them.

And the Swiss newspaper "Lotan" Le Temps quoted an independent expert commissioned by the Human Rights Council as saying that the situation in Mali was deteriorating while the last French soldiers left the country, and Bamako became dependent on the Russian military force.

In a press conference held on Tuesday in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, the Senegalese expert, Alioune Taine, appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, said that 3 quarters of the Malian territories are now out of Bamako's control.

Taine - who not only stayed in the capital, Bamako, but also visited other cities, including Minica in the north, most of which are controlled by jihadist groups - stressed that violence is not limited to those groups, but also includes local defense groups that are also committing violations that are no less A ugliness about its enemies, all this in light of the “incompetence” of the Malian National Armed Forces in protecting the population, he said.

Will Moscow succeed where the French and the Europeans failed, and security in Mali was simplified?

The newspaper "Le Figaro" wonders in its report that the French military forces - which at one time numbered more than 5 thousand soldiers in Mali - were replaced by a few hundred mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Group.

Le Figaro pointed out that these mercenaries are now on the front line to confront the jihadists in Mali.


Lavrov's promise

The newspaper reported the promise made by the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, to the military council in Mali on Monday that Moscow would provide Bamako with "multifaceted assistance to fight terrorists of all stripes."

But the newspaper questioned the ability of the Wagner mercenaries to carry out this arduous task, saying that they are required today to prove their experience in combating terrorism, especially since their main specialty is presidential security, as is the case in the Central African Republic, and their record in training forces is very poor, as it appears especially in Syria. , according to Le Figaro.

Le Figaro explained that Wagner's participation in operations in Mali coincided with army operations in light of accusations of violations against the civilian population and documented by non-governmental organizations, as happened in Mora and Mopti, where at least 200 people were killed at the end of last March.

The newspaper pointed out that Russia's progress in Africa is measured by the standard of hybrid warfare, as it is not limited to military operations, but also includes a whole range of "irregular, and often illegal" means aimed at expanding Russia's influence, such as disinformation and interference in Elections, support for coups, and arms deals in exchange for resources.

Le Figaro pointed out that the history of the Russian presence in Africa is old, as the number of Soviet advisors in Africa reached 40,000 "advisers" at the height of the Cold War.

The newspaper quoted Nicolas Normand - a former French ambassador in Bamako - as saying that he does not expect Russia to continue the expensive investment in Mali, especially since "mercenaries cost 10 or 12 million euros per month, while the country is under sanctions, and it may not be able to continue in Pay,” he said.

But what saddens the Senegalese expert, Alioune Taine, is that the rights of civilians in Mali are being sacrificed in light of the current international polarization due to the Ukraine war, which he expressed pessimism about because of the obstacles that the military council in Mali puts in the face of the UN forces in Mali, according to his opinion.