The Malian government would be about to sign an agreement that would allow the arrival of Russian instructors in Mali with the aim of training the army of that West African country.
An agreement is about to be reached between the Russian security company Wagner and the Malian government, with the aim of training Malian soldiers, who are struggling to cope with the repeated assaults of terrorists, who make many victims in their ranks.
According to information provided by the Reuters agency, which cites diplomatic sources, the French authorities are reportedly scrambling to prevent the signing of such an agreement. Better, the media informs, France has just sent Christophe Bigot, to try to break this agreement.
The Reuters Agency states that approximately 1,000 Russian instructors will be involved in this agreement. In addition to training Malian army soldiers, the instructors of the Russian private security group Wagner should also be responsible for ensuring the protection of the Malian authorities.
Reuters also points out that the Wagner Safety Group is expected to pocket a CFAF 6 billion a month for this training work.Recalling that the private security group Wagner is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close relative of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
If this agreement is reached, it will not be the first time that these Russian instructors sign their presence in Africa. They are present in the Central African Republic where they carry out surveillance and security missions, both for individuals and officials. In fact, last week one of them was shot dead by armed men.
Moreover, these Russians established in the Central African Republic subsequently carried out reprisals that were denounced. However, the arrival of Russian instructors also coincided with the gradual withdrawal of French soldiers to the Sahel, decided by French President Emmanuel Marcon, who announced the end of Operation Barkhane together with a decrease in French military personnel in Mali.
Source : Afrik.com
