15 European countries and Canada condemned the deployment of Wagner PMC mercenaries in Mali

The deployment of Wagner's private military company to Mali could worsen the security situation in West Africa and the human rights situation in the country itself. This is stated in the joint communiqué of France and 15 other states, published on the website of the French Foreign Ministry.

The countries expressed regret that the transitional authorities of Mali decided to use "already limited public funds" to pay for foreign mercenaries, and not to support their own armed forces and government agencies working for the benefit of the country's inhabitants.

The authors of the communiqué also turned to Russia, which, according to them, financially supports the deployment of Wagner PMCs in Mali. They called on Moscow to return to "responsible and constructive behavior" in the region.

The statement was signed by Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, France, Czech Republic, Sweden and Estonia. They pledged to support the fight against terrorism and protect Mali's civilian population, and called on Mali's leadership to reform and restore constitutional order through elections.

• The fact that the leadership of Mali is discussing the possibility of an agreement with PMC Wagner became known in September. At the same time, one of the PMC members told the BBC Russian Service at the end of August that the group was “already entering” Mali.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in turn, reported that the Mali authorities "turned to a private military company from Russia" after France decided to reduce the number of peacekeepers in the country. He emphasized that the Russian authorities had nothing to do with the deal.
• In December, the European Union imposed sanctions on the Wagner PMC, as well as people and companies associated with it. The EU believes that the PMC is responsible for human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial executions, in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Mozambique and Ukraine.
• The United States called on the transitional government of Mali to abandon the deal to host Wagner PMCs on its territory.