Solicited by theAFP, the Malian Ministry of Defense admitted to negotiating with the Wagner Group, the sulphurous Russian private military company (SMP) already present in CAR since 2018, to the chagrin of Paris.
Wagner, false nose of Moscow?
The presence of this Russian private military company has been reported (and sometimes confirmed) in CAR, Sudan, Mozambique, Libya, Madagascar, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela. Created in 2014, it offers training, security and close protection services, and supervision of foreign security forces.
However, the direct involvement of its personnel in combat operations has also been reported, particularly in CAR and Syria. This contrasts with the current ESSD services as we prefer to call them in France (ESSD, for security and defense service companies
) which range from training to intelligence, medical support, security, mine clearance, logistics and MCO. However, Russian PMCs, but also Turkish PMCs, no longer hesitate to engage their personnel in offensive actions and have them deploy lethal forces.
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In the CAR, the Russian paramilitaries took a direct part in the fighting against the armed groups. © AFP
On the history of Wagner and his creation, we will read an article published on April 27, 2021 in Newsline Magazine written by Ruslan Trad. It is titled: “ The Soviet Origins of Putin’s Mercenaries Methods perfected during the occupation of Afghanistan are now in wide use among Russia’s corporate guns for hire. Despite Moscow’s denials, this article establishes the strong links that unite this PMC and Russian power. Despite everything, the Kremlin still refuses to have this type of company recognized by the Russian Parliament.
We will also read the study by the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) on the role of Russian private military companies (SMP) in Africa. This study analyzes the deployment of Wagner in CAR, Mozambique and Libya.
Tricolor concerns
According to a French source familiar with the matter, the junta in power in Bamako would study the possibility of concluding a contract with Wagner for the deployment of a thousand paramilitaries in Mali with the mission of training its armed forces (FAMa) and ensuring the protection of leaders. A contract like the one signed between the Central African authorities on the one hand and the Russian SMP and its local subsidiary Sewa Security Services (SSS) on the other.
A West African security source, for his part, told theAFP that Wagner was negotiating to arrive in force in Mali, for money and with mining counterparts.
All these sources confirm information initially revealed by the agency Reuters. The British agency says that according to four sources, the Wagner group would be paid six billion CFA francs (about 9.15 million euros) per month for its services. The deal could also guarantee the Russian company access to three mineral deposits, two gold and one magnesium. This is still reminiscent of the Central African scenario and raises fears of a Russian stranglehold on a mining sector of the Malian economy.
Merger with Moscow
In addition, the Malian junta has multiplied the signs of rapprochement with Russia. Defense Minister Sadio Camara was in Moscow on September 4, 2021. An official from the Malian Defense Ministry said the visit was part of within the framework of cooperation and military assistance
, without further details. The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, referred to an interview between the Russian Deputy Minister, Alexandre Fromine, and Sadio Camara, devoted to military cooperation projects
and to security issues in West Africa
.
It should be noted that Sadio Camara, then a colonel, was returning from a one-year training course at the Moscow Higher Military College during the 2020 putsch in which he took an active part.
Deployment, redeployment …
If Wagner’s arrival were to materialize, a faster and larger redeployment of French troops from Mali to neighboring Niger would be explored, according to a source from theAFP. Especially since in the event of Russian intervention in Mali, we are alarmed in France, the United States would stop everything
on the spot, depriving France of crucial means (supplies and intelligence) for its operations in the Sahel.
Besides, some European countries could also decide to withdraw
, while Paris has struggled for two years to convince them to join the grouping of special forces Takuba, a force of 600 men led by France and dedicated to supporting Malian soldiers in combat.
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