BERLIN: Germany warned Mali on Wednesday that a deal with Russian private security group Wagner would “call into question” its deployment in the West African country as part of United Nations and European Union missions.
“If Mali’s government makes such a deal with Russia, then it goes against everything that Germany, France, the EU and the UN have been doing in Mali over the last eight years,” wrote Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Twitter.
French sources told AFP this week that the Malian government was nearing a deal with Wagner to hire nearly 1,000 mercenaries, an agreement that would underscore Moscow’s growing influence in the region.
French Defense Minister Florence Parly on Tuesday warned Mali against signing a contract with Wagner, saying it would be “incoherent with everything we have done” in the Sahel region.
A spokesperson for the Malian defense ministry has not denied the discussions, which were first reported by Reuters news agency on Monday.
“Mali intends to diversify its relationships in the medium term to ensure the security of the country,” the spokesperson told AFP.
“We haven’t signed anything with Wagner, but we are talking with everyone.”
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman called the prospect of Mali partnering with Russian mercenaries “extremely worrying” and said it was in close contact with French counterparts over the issue.
Germany has around 1,500 soldiers in Mali as part of the UN’s Minusma peacekeeping mission and the EU’s mission to train Malian soldiers. It is currently Germany’s most dangerous foreign deployment.
France first sent troops to Mali in 2013 after extremists overran the north of the country.
Since then, Paris has deployed thousands of troops to the wider Sahel region where they carry out operations alongside local forces against extremists linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
In recent years, Russian paramilitaries, security instructors, companies and advisers have grown increasingly influential in Africa, particularly in the war-torn Central African Republic (CAR).
The Kremlin said Wednesday there were no formal discussions on military cooperation with Mali.
Germany warns Mali over Russian mercenary deal
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Germany warns Mali over Russian mercenary deal
- The Malian government is reported to be nearing a deal with Wagner to hire nearly 1,000 mercenaries, an agreement that would underscore Moscow’s growing influence in the region
- French Defense Minister Florence Parly warned Mali against signing a contract with Wagner, saying it would be ‘incoherent with everything we have done’ in the Sahel region
Brazil’s Lula accuses Trump of seeking to forge ‘new UN’
- Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs
- Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts
BRASILIA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Donald Trump on Friday of trying to create “a new UN” with his proposed “Board of Peace.”
The veteran leftist joins other world leaders who have avoided signing up for Trump’s new global conflict resolution organization, where a permanent seat costs $1 billion and the chairman is Trump himself.
“Instead of fixing” the United Nations, “what’s happening? President Trump is proposing to create a new UN where only he is the owner,” Lula said.
Trump unveiled his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos Thursday, joined on stage by leaders and officials from 19 countries to sign its founding charter.
Lula defended multilateralism against what he called “the law of the jungle” in global affairs.
His remarks come a day after he spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who urged his counterpart to safeguard the “central role” of the United Nations in international affairs.
In his remarks on Friday, Lula said “the UN charter is being torn.”
Although originally intended to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations.
Key US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts.
London balked at the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces are fighting in Ukraine after invading in 2022.
France said the charter as it currently stood was “incompatible” with its international commitments, especially its UN membership.
