Washington. November 20. INTERFAX - Mali is an important element of the security of the region, and the intervention of the Wagner PMCs and other external forces in the affairs of this country will not benefit, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a visit to Senegal.
"It would be especially regrettable if external forces were involved (in the politics of Mali - IF), making the situation even more confusing and complicated," the Associated Press (AP) quoted Blinken as saying.
"Blinken noted that in particular he is talking about the Wagner group, which deployed mercenaries in Syria, the CAR and Libya, provoking protests from the West and others (forces - IF)," the AP continues.
The Secretary of State stressed that Mali remains a link for the stability of the Sahel region, and Washington is concerned about the spread of extremism and terrorism here.
Blinken also said that the United States is ready to restore aid supplies to Mali as soon as power in the country passes to a democratically elected government.
The Sahel is a vast region with a population of about 100 million people, on the territory of which there are five countries: Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad. Earlier in 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the gradual completion of the operation in the Sahel. He noted that anti-terrorist tasks in this region will be carried out by "international forces" in the future. Subsequently, Macron denied the accusations of the Malian authorities that France had "abandoned" this country.
In September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference in New York that the Malian authorities had turned to the Russian PMCs to assist in the fight against terrorists.
"They (the authorities of Mali - IF) turned to a private military company from Russia due to the fact that, as I understand it, France wants to significantly reduce its military contingent, which was there and had, as everyone understood, to fight terrorists," he said.
In recent months, Western leaders have expressed concerns about reports that the Malian authorities may agree on the deployment of the Wagner PMCs on their territory.
