US says Russia’s Wagner force eyes Mali as route for war supplies
Al JazeeraNov 25, 2022
The Facts
Russia has vetoed a United Nations Security Council proposal, led by France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to a one-year extension of an independent monitoring team and the imposition of sanctions in Mali.
This follows the sanction monitoring team's report earlier this month that both state troops and foreign security partners were engaging in "grave human rights abuses." Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution, with China abstaining and Russia rejecting the proposal.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Russia and the Wagner Group continue to fill the vacuum left by former colonial powers, taking advantage of the rising instability in various regions of Africa. This can be witnessed in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, and even potentially Gabon after its latest coup. The free world must react quicker to reduce this growing influence or face potentially world-changing consequences in the future.
Pro-Russia narrative
The reality is that Russian security personnel have done more for Mali in the fight against jihadist insurgencies than the French or the UN ever have. Furthermore, the current pandemonium within the Sahel is a direct consequence of Western intervention in Libya via NATO. If the Security Council is to have any impact, a compromise and consideration of Mali's own interests must be prioritized over Western ideology.
