France warns Russia against paramilitary involvement in Mali

Source: Agence France-Presse

France warns Russia against paramilitary involvement in Mali

Fri, September 24, 2021, 12:44 PM·1 min read

France's foreign minister has warned his Russian counterpart against involving paramilitaries from the controversial Wagner group in Mali's conflict.

"On Mali, the minister alerted his Russian counterpart to the serious consequences of the Wagner group's involvement in this country," the French foreign ministry said Friday.

Jean-Yves Le Drian met Sergey Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to reports, Mali's army-dominated government in Bamako is close to hiring 1,000 Wagner paramilitaries.

France has warned Mali that hiring the fighters from the Russian private-security firm would isolate the country internationally.

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3 replies	Author	Time	Post
France warns Russia against paramilitary involvement in Mali (Original post)	Eugene	Sep 2021	OP
Hmm. A). Wagner is private enterprise. B). Isn't Mali decolonized?	Ghost Dog	Sep 2021	#1
Mercenaries are outlaws, and Mali is a signatory to the UN Mercanenary Convention.	Eugene	Sep 2021	#2
I think insurgency started first, then military takeover.	Ghost Dog	Sep 2021	#3

Response to Eugene (Original post)

Sun Sep 26, 2021, 04:07 PM

Ghost Dog (16,881 posts)

1. Hmm. A). Wagner is private enterprise. B). Isn't Mali decolonized?

Last edited Sun Sep 26, 2021, 05:05 PM - Edit history (1)

C). There is an insurgency to be fought.

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Response to Ghost Dog (Reply #1)

Sun Sep 26, 2021, 04:26 PM

Eugene (56,528 posts)

2. Mercenaries are outlaws, and Mali is a signatory to the UN Mercanenary Convention.

Russian mercenaries are also responsible for widespread human rights violations in the region, especially in the Central African Republic.

The military takeover of help create the mess they are in. Among other things, it gave al Qaeda an opening to come in and ransack much of the country.

Countries don't have the sovereign right to commit war crimes. Russia's actions by proxy are also likely to destabilize the region even further.

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Response to Eugene (Reply #2)

Sun Sep 26, 2021, 05:16 PM

Ghost Dog (16,881 posts)

3. I think insurgency started first, then military takeover.

The government invites both French military and private contractor assistance. Is that uncommon? It's a shame the United Nations Mercenary Convention isn't properly enforced everywhere.

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