Because France is unable to stabilize Mali
What happens in Mali. The article by Giuseppe Gagliano
The stabilization promised by France in Mali is a chimera and the reasons are different.
This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) announced that it had killed four Russian mercenaries of the private military company Wagner Group in an ambush around Bandiagara. in central Mali.
The French military mission in Mali, Operation Barkhane, which aimed to support Mali against the insurgents, lasted nine years. The last unit crossed the neighboring country Niger on Monday 15 August, after a relapse between France and the junta of Mali, which took power in August 2020.
On February 17, 2022, France announced it would begin recalling all its troops. On Monday, the French chief of staff released a statement saying: " Today at 13h00 Paris time (11h00 GMT) the final contingent of the Barkhane force still on the territory of Mali crossed the border between Mali and Niger." he also said that the mission was undergoing a "profound transformation", but would "continue to fight terrorism" in the region.
At the same time, although apparently disconnected, the JNIM said its fighters clashed with Russian mercenaries in the Mopti region on Saturday 13 August.
The Russian Wagner Group began supplying hundreds of fighters to support the Malian army last year. He has since been accused by human rights groups and local residents of massacres of civilians.
Even though billions have been spent by France and many lives have been lost, the case of Mali (and the greater central Sahel) is not improving, with many observers arguing that it is indeed getting worse. More than 2,000 civilians have been killed in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since the beginning of the year.
An important aspect to consider is the extent of the atrocities against civilians perpetrated by Malian state forces; Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group; Burkinabé state forces and jihadist military groups.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/francia-mali-stabilizzazione/ on Wed, 17 Aug 2022 05:41:07 +0000.