France, which decided to end the anti-terrorist operation “Barkhan”, thereby “abandoned” Mali, so the authorities of this African country were forced to look for other partners to ensure security and turned to a Russian private military company (PMC), Mali Prime Minister Shogel Kokalla Maiga said. Earlier, the media, citing sources, reported that the Mali junta, which came to power after the coup in May 2021, expressed interest in hiring PMC Wagner to train the military and protect high-ranking officials.
“The new situation that has arisen as a result of the completion of Operation Barkhan presents Mali with a fait accompli: to a certain extent, we were abandoned in the middle of the flight. This forces us to explore ways and means to better ensure our security on our own or with other partners, ”said Shogel Kokalla Maiga, speaking at a session of the UN General Assembly (quoted by Interfax).
According to him, Mali needs to “fill the gap” that will arise as a result of the completion of Operation Barkhan by France.
Earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that if the Mali authorities began to cooperate with PMC Wagner, this could “seriously affect” the country’s relations with the EU. For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the consequences if the PMC intervenes in the situation in Mali.
Mr. Lavrov himself said that the Russian authorities have nothing to do with the appeal of the Mali leadership to PMCs. Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulay Diop, following a meeting with Sergei Lavrov, said that his country did not consider it necessary to discuss with Russia reports on the transfer of employees of a private military company.
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