Translated material
"Wagner" in Mali
French sources reported the likely participation of Russian mercenaries in hostilities
Several sources of the international French radio RFI reported the participation of mercenaries from the Russian “private military company” (PMC) of Wagner in the hostilities in the Mali Center. This is the first message about the combat "experience" of the Wagnerians in this African country. At the same time, the military authorities Mali continue to insist that there are no Russian mercenaries in the country.
According to RFI sources, a fight with jihadists, in which, along with the Mali Army (FAMA), Wagnerians participated, held in the area of the village of Mandoli near the city of Bandiagar on Monday, January 3.
The journalist of the French public television channel France 24 Vassim Nasr announced one wounded fighter "PMC Vagner". The numbers differ depending on the sources, but they all report several dead on both sides. The Ministry of Defense Mali has not yet responded to requests regarding what happened.
The “high -ranking international source” RFI, in turn, said that last week in Mali, from 300 to 350 Wagner fighters was deployed. Most of them are in the province of SeSU (the city of SeSU is 80 km from the bandiagara).
“Many other sources confirm that they saw white soldiers next to FAMA fighters in the SeSU, as well as near the cities of Jenna and the bandiagar,” writes RFI.
The “temporary” Mali military authorities (junta) continue to deny cooperation with the Wagnerians, insisting that “participate only in interstate partnership with the Russian Federation,” as stated in their statement of December 25.
The statement was a response to the Mids Communist of 15 Western countries, one way or another participating, according to official figures, in the fight against terrorism in Sahel (France, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Romania, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania). “We, international partners, committed to the support of Mali and its people in their efforts to achieve a durable world and stability and the fight against terrorism, resolutely condemn the placement of mercenaries in Mali territory,” Western partners said, recalling that on December 13 the European Union took a “set of restrictive measures against the Vagner group itself and eight related physical and three legal legal legal persons (...) involved in serious violations of human rights, including torture and extrajudicial, arbitrary executions and murders, and in destabilizing activities in some countries. ”
On December 27, the Foreign Ministry of France at online briefing for journalists actually confirmed its confidence that Russian mercenaries are already in Mali territory. In response to the question of the Maliye authorities denying cooperation with the “PMC Wagner”, the French Foreign Ministry stated: we redirect you to the “Declaration that we made together with fourteen other Mali International partners on December 23”.
On January 4, France 24 published satellite pictures, photographs and data from the Flightradar24 website, which, according to the certificate of the channel, “reinforce the thesis that the Wagner group has already been deployed in Mali.”
According to Le Monde, new installations near the Bamako Airport caused anxiety of Paris and its partners. Next to the Malia base of the Air Force 101, south of the airport, “military type installations” (including tents, a dozen trucks and about 60 armored vehicles) were noticed, allowing to accept a large contingent. “The whole operation was carried out with the implementation of air transfers with the participation of the Russian armed forces and was controlled on the spot by the Wagner group,” French “government sources” told Le Monde. “The fears of Paris and its partners regarding the ambitions of the Wagner group, nevertheless, are based on many evidence related to the script that is very similar to the one that this group arrived in the Central African Republic. At that time, at the end of 2017, more than 150 private instructors first joined the official Russian military support, after which their ranks began to grow and the influence of expansion, ”Le Monde reminded .
“We also have information about the presence of geologists close to“ Wagner ”in SEGU, Kayese and Sikasso,” a source in the French army, which has already been almost nine years old, has been conducting an anti -terrorist operation in Mali and several other countries of the African region of the African region of the African region.
On December 21, 2021, President Macron had to make a visit to Mali to meet with Colonel Assimi Goyt, the “temporary” president of this country, and at the same time participate in a Christmas dinner with French soldiers, but at the last moment the visit was canceled. Officially, the Elysee Palace announced that the cancellation was connected with the “sanitary situation”, but in fact, the French authorities could not find arguments to “interrupt” Moscow proposal.
Several attempts by President Macron to persuade Vladimir Putin not to use the "Wagnerians" in Mali. In Moscow, they still continue to deny any connection between the “PMC Wagner” with Russian official structures.
Sergei Lavrov previously stated that the Russian authorities are not related to the Wagnerians' deal with the Mali authorities. And at the same time, he harshly condemned European sanctions against this “independent” PMC, which independent Russian and foreign media, as well as the official authorities of France, directly associate with Evgeny Prigozhin, also known as “Putin’s cook”.