Shame on France, long live Russia: Mali’s new route. †

When you wander through Bamako, you see them right away: Russian flags flutter next to the Mali tricolor. Small replicas are sold as souvenirs along the route, with gags, car stickers and key rings for the curious.

“He is our most important ally,” explains tailor Oumar Sidibé. Previously her work consisted mainly of sewing women’s dresses, now her work consists largely of making Russian flags for protest marches. “And that bothers the West, the French,” laughs Oumar. “When we say ‘Vive Poutine,’ Macron trembles.”

Finally, suppose that many residents of Bamako have a government in Mali that was not ruled by the former French colonialist. A government that listens to the people instead of to Paris.

“Indeed, fuck France”, agrees Siriki Kouyaté, one of the leaders of the influential citizens’ movement Yéréwolo. “France is no longer welcome here. Let them go right away.”

Correspondent Saskia Houttuin traveled to Mali and saw how great the Russian influence on the country was:

Such voices have become commonplace in Mali’s capital. Many Malians are furious that there is still war. Large parts of the northern and central states are being destroyed by criminal gangs and terrorist groups, some of which are al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliated.

Mali has been in a spiral of violence since Tuareg rebels conquered the north ten years ago. So far, at least 10,000 people have died and more than 30,000 Malians have fled their homes.

The arrival of foreign troops, such as the French mission Barkhane, did not turn the tide. There have been violent clashes recently, especially around the border triangle with Burkina Faso and Niger, and in the central areas of Mopti and Ségou.

‘What were the French doing here? Says Muctar Mariko, vice-chairman and also chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. “The longer they stayed here, the worse the situation got. What happened ?

In the new military regime led by Colonel Assimi Goita since last year, anti-French sentiments have reached a boiling point in recent months.

This has especially important military implications: the French Barkhane mission will soon be disbanded next summer and completely disappear from the scene. After that, the European mission Takuba and the EUTM training mission also falter: many countries, including Germany, are planning to withdraw their troops.

Wagner

This shift has it all: Russia is gaining influence in Africa. But where other superpowers such as China mainly do this by investing in infrastructure and mining, Russia seems to be mainly set on shady deals with the security sector.

In Africa this is happening in Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic and now Mali. Load after load from Moscow arrives at Bamako airport: guns, attack helicopters, radar equipment and, more recently, men.

Instructors insist on the Malian government. But everything shows that they are mercenaries of the Wagner group, a private military company that does not exist on paper, but has close ties with the Russian army and the Kremlin. According to France, there are about 1,000 Wagnerian paramilitaries in Mali.

What exactly are they doing there? It is particularly difficult to establish that the Malian government has banned foreign troops and observers from certain parts of the country. The freedoms of journalists were also curtailed. According to sources, Russia is after Mali’s natural resources. The country is rich in gold, lithium and uranium. In exchange for military support, Russia would get access to its mines.

civilian casualties

This military support is accompanied by a lot of violence. Human rights groups and journalistic publications allege that the Malian armed forces have been involved in large-scale attacks that have also resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. Eyewitnesses say Russian soldiers helped the army. Malian leaders deny this. They say it is a “hoax” and a “skillful strategy to destabilize the transitional government”.

While Bamako applauds the Malian army and enthusiastically welcomes Russian support, the northern Malians are deeply concerned. Certainly now one foreign mission after another is in danger of falling.

Zakaria Diallo flees the town of Douentza and is convinced that “if foreign troops leave, the jihadists will take control of the country” from Faladié, a refugee camp on the outskirts of Bamako. “Then it becomes like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. Then it’s over.”