The possible conclusion of an agreement between the junta in power in Bamako and the private Russian company Wagner “would call into question” the mandate of the German army in Mali, the German Minister of Defense warned Wednesday.
“If the government of Mali makes such agreements with Russia, it contradicts everything that Germany, France, the European Union and the UN have done in Mali for the past 8 years,” warned Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Twitter.
The German army is present in Mali with nearly 1,500 soldiers, deployed as part of the European Union’s training mission or the UN-led Minusma mission.
French authorities had already expressed concern on Tuesday about the talks between Bamako and the private Russian company, warning that a deployment of these paramilitaries in Mali could lead to a withdrawal of French troops, who have been fighting jihadist groups there for eight years.
The junta in power in Bamako is studying the possibility, according to a French source close to the matter, of concluding a contract with Wagner on the deployment of a thousand Russian paramilitaries in Mali in return for money, to train its armed forces and provide protection for its leaders.