US says Russia’s Wagner force eyes Mali as route for war supplies
Al JazeeraNov 25, 2022
The Facts
At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed on Thursday in two separate attacks by suspected Islamist militants on a passenger boat and an army base in Mali, according to the country's armed forces.
The attack on the ferry in the country's north near Timbuktu occurred Thursday morning, followed by an attack on a military camp in the neighboring Gao region later that day. The Malian government has announced a three-day national mourning period after the attacks.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
That dozens of innocent civilians and soldiers have been killed yet again is the result of the Malian junta's short-sighted policies. Bamako's decision to kick out the UN blue helmets allowed the Islamic State group (IS) to double the territory it controls in the country. Moreover, since the regime's calculation to trust the Russian Wagner mercenaries did not work out, an ominous mix of IS terrorists, local Islamists, and Tuareg rebels now threatens to usher in a new era of violence and chaos in the country and the region.
Establishment-critical narrative
The recent deadly attacks are a sad reminder that the terrorist threat in Mali remains very real. However, the attacks are a symptom, not the cause of the problem. The alleged "war on terror" in Africa is nothing more than a cover under which France and the collective West, with the UN as a tool, ensure they can continue to control the economic and political fortunes of African countries. Countries like Mali, however, have decided to take the rocky road of achieving true decolonization and welcoming new partners like Russia.
