The Malian government last Friday flatly denied the baseless accusations of an alleged deployment of paramilitary elements of a private Russian company, Wagner.
The government of Mali asking for evidence on the heavy accusations wanted to specify that some "Russian instructors" were in Mali as part of the strengthening of the operational capacity of the national security and defense forces.
"Bamako has entered into normal relations of cooperation with the Russian Federation, Mali's historic partner"government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said.
Last Thursday the harsh condemnation of 15 Western countries on the deployment in Mali of Russian mercenaries belonging to the controversial Wagner group and on the supply of weapons and equipment by Moscow: "We are aware of the involvement of the government of the Russian Federation in providing support for the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali, therefore we invite Russia to behave responsibly and constructively in the region".
There is growing international concern in Mali following Colonel Assimi Goita's seizure of power following the country's second coup in less than a year. A conduct that pushes further and further away also the elections of next February.
A French intelligence source, cited by F24, confirmed the existence of important military movements: "We are witnessing repeated air sorties with military transport aircraft belonging to the Russian army and installations at Bamako airport to allow the arrival of a significant number of mercenaries ”.
Frequent visits by Wagner executives to Bamako and the activities of Russian geologists, known for their adherence to Wagner, were also noted.
Despite the deployment of Russian mercenaries, the declaration of the 15 Western countries clearly indicates that no one will have left the African country, "We will not give up our efforts to meet the needs of the people of Mali". Although Paris has claimed that Wagner's deployment is incompatible with the presence of French troops.
Mali is the epicenter of the jihadist uprising that began in the north of the country in 2012 and spread three years later to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.