🇷🇺🇨🇫🇲🇱 Channels associated with Wagner PMC posted a video about the adventures of Yevgeny Prigozhin in Africa. The video consists of footage of trips to CAR and Mali.

#CAR #Mali #Wagner

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🇲🇱 Mali diverts troops northwards to fight rebels

The Malian army has begun redeploying troops to the northern town of Kidal, amid a resumption of hostilities there.

The convoy of 119 vehicles left Gao on Monday morning heading towards the Tuareg rebel stronghold in Kidal, which lies 300km to the northeast of the city.

The north of Mali has seen an increase in attacks by ethnic Tuareg separatists and jihadists against the Malian military since the end of August.

#Mali

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🇲🇱 Mali's Tuareg rebels claim control of another military camp

Mali's northern Tuareg rebels said on Wednesday that they had seized another military base from the Malian army, bringing to five the number of conquered and pillaged camps in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), told that his fighters had taken control of the Malian army camp in Taoussa after fighting.

He also said that the CMA had attacked the army near the village of Tarkint on Wednesday.

#Mali

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🇷🇺🇲🇱 Putin talks with Malian leader about security in third phone call in two months

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed trade and security with Mali's leader Assimi Goita on Tuesday in their third phone conversation in less than two months, the Kremlin said.

The two leaders discussed their "mutual commitment to further strengthening trade and economic ties, security cooperation and the fight against terrorism", the Kremlin said in a statement.

Goita said: "I expressed my gratitude for all the support that Russia provides to Mali."

#Russia #Mali

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🇲🇱🇫🇷 Mali cancels authorization for Air France to resume service

Mali's government have cancelled the authorization given to French flag carrier Air France to resume operations and services to the country.

Two senior Malian officials and an air transport official gave the update on Wednesday less than 24hours after news went round that Air France will resume service to Mali from Friday.

"The decision was cancelled because the agreement was given without consulting the hierarchy," Mali said.

Air France had announced on Tuesday that it would resume service to Mali from Friday after a two-month suspension amid tensions in the Sahel and between Bamako and Paris.

#Mali #France

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⚡️🇲🇱 Malian Armed Forces entered the improvised capital of Tuareg rebels in north-eastern Mali

Malian Armed Forces have finally took positions in the city of Kidal, which has been an improvised capital for the Coordination of Azawad Movements in north-eastern Mali.

Tuareg rebels accounts on social media also confirm this information.

Although the battle for Kidal isn't over yet, this marks a big milestone for FAMa's campaign against the Azawad militants.

However, the loss of the city will not mean the end of the rebellion, since for the Coordination of Azawad Movement Kidal is just another city, since they consider entire south Sahara and north Sahel regions their home.

#Mali

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🇲🇱🇷🇺 Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery

Mali's military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako.

The accord, a non-binding memorandum of understanding, involves building a 200-tonnes-per-year refinery, minister Alousséni Sanou said.

The memorandum is valid for four years, he said, without giving a timeline for construction. If built, it would be Mali's largest gold refinery.

"This will allow us not only to control all gold production but also to be able to correctly apply all taxes and duties," Sanou said.

#Mali #Russia

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🇧🇫🇲🇱🇳🇪 ECOWAS urges Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation

ECOWAS is urging Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation amidst concerns of potential exits from the community.

The regional body which took this position at the conclusion of its extraordinary session on February 8, 2024, stressed the critical need for diplomacy and unity in the face of regional challenges.

At the conclusion of the session, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chair of the Mediation and Security Council, Yusuf Tuggar, said the decision of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mail to withdraw from the community has presented yet another challenge, however, members are heartened by the spirit of cooperation to resolve this challenge.

He added that “We must carry forward the momentum generated in this session and continue our efforts to engage with the concerned member states in the spirit of understanding and reconciliation”.

#ECOWAS #BurkinaFaso #Mali #Niger

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🇪🇺🇳🇪The European Union member states announced the completion of the EUMPM mission in Niger, citing the "difficult political situation".

The mandate will be terminated on June 30. Over a year and a half, just like the similar mission in Mali, it did not bring any practical results, as the training of military personnel was mediocre, and at the "grassroots" level, people were not even aware of it.

For the most part, Niger was used as a supply base for European missions on Malian territory, leaving the main task as secondary. It's not surprising, since Niamey was in the sphere of influence of Washington, and the Europeans had no reason to interfere in its affairs.

So, following the withdrawal of the American contingent, the existence of this mission became useless. Especially after the transitional government's termination of agreements and the appearance of Russian instructors from the African Corps on the country's territory.
#Africa #EU #Mali
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🇲🇱🇧🇫🇳🇪 How the first summit of the Sahel States Alliance went

On July 6, the first summit of the Sahel States Alliance, which unites the anti-Western governments of West Africa, was held in the capital of Niger, Niamey. As a result, steps were taken to create a confederation of the three countries and continue the integration processes.

Earlier, the leaders of the three countries agreed to create a united group of troops to fight terrorism, which they later reinforced with joint cross-border operations. The success in the military sphere was also confirmed at the summit by the intention to create a unified security policy.

❗️Now their most important task is to ensure economic sovereignty.

Serious steps have been taken in this direction: following the summit, a joint investment bank was created. The heads of the three states also reinforced their separation from ECOWAS, despite statements by the President of Senegal to the contrary. Most likely, this is how they announced their course towards abandoning the CFA franc.

There were also intentions to coordinate diplomatic steps and create a single space for the movement of goods and people.

Following the summit, the President of Mali, Assimi Goïta, was elected as the head of the Sahel States Alliance for one year.

🔻In this example, we can see how, with the mediation of Russian military and political specialists, the Sahel countries have embarked on the path of genuine economic sovereignty with the support of Moscow.

At the same time, seeing such determination of the local governments, we should also conduct a more active economic policy in the region with the involvement of Russian business. Because, despite all our military successes, important economic projects still, for some reason, go to the Anglo-Saxons.
#Africa #BurkinaFaso #Mali #Niger
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🇲🇱🇷🇺 on the Cooperation Between Mali and Rosatom

The authorities of Mali and the Russian state corporation Rosatom recently signed three cooperation agreements and discussed joint projects, including the prospects for building a nuclear power plant.

In addition to discussing the "strategic project for the construction of a small nuclear power plant in Mali," the parties talked about solar energy projects and exploration work.

📌And the last point, mentioned in passing, interests us the most. Mali is currently one of the most promising countries in Africa for uranium exploration and production.

There are no exact data on reserves yet, but there are many indirect indications that significant uranium mining was carried out illegally in areas not under state control. Moreover, it is very likely that there are rich deposits in the border areas with Niger, where reserves have been explored and are actively being mined.

In addition, companies such as Northern Canadian Uranium Inc., Delta Exploration Inc., Rockgate Capital Corp and other Western firms are already conducting exploration work in Mali.

🔻Therefore, the consolidation of Rosatom in the region, following Russian military specialists, cannot but please. And there is a hope that the recently abandoned deposits in Niger by the French and Canadians will not remain idle either.

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#Africa #Mali #map
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🇲🇱Situation in Mali: Terrorist Attack in Bamako and Wagner PMC Raid
Summary for September 15 - October 18, 2024

The past month has seen an overall increase in military activity in various parts of Mali. The main event was undoubtedly the raid by the Wagner PMC with the goal of repatriating the remains of its fighters.

▪️ Recall that thanks to the lessons learned from the previous bitter experience, this time there were almost no losses. All ambushes were avoided, and the enemy was made to believe in different goals of the operation.

▪️ Another important event was the attack by radical Islamists on the airport of the capital Bamako and the nearby gendarmerie barracks. A small group of militants was able to temporarily seize the airport and damage civilian aircraft. They did not reach the military part of the facility.

▪️ There is also another activation of government forces along the Mauritanian border. During the recent events, more than 50 Islamists hiding along the border strip were detained and eliminated.

Unfortunately, during one of the clashes, the commander of the 9th assault detachment of the Wagner PMC with the call sign "Michael" was killed.

▪️ Meanwhile, in the north, militants linked to Al-Qaeda's JNIM group attempted a massive attack in the north of the country. The cities of Timbuktu, Bér and Gao came under attack.

The attempt to shell the airports was unsuccessful. As well as the use of suicide car bombs, they failed to break through the defense.

All attacks were repelled, and the government forces' retaliatory actions were more successful. Near Timbuktu, a group of 20 militants was discovered and neutralized.

▪️ Also, a large number of small groups and individual militant supply vehicles were destroyed with the help of aviation and UAVs.

🔻As can be seen, anti-government groups are increasingly suffering defeats in major operations, resorting to isolated sorties and mining roads. All this is a positive trend in ensuring peace in the country.

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#Africa #map #Mali
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🇲🇱 Mali detains 3 Australian mining firm executives

Three expat executives from Australian company Resolute Mining, which owns a gold mine in Mali, have been detained for questioning, industry and judiciary sources told AFP on Saturday.

It is the second time in just over a month that employees of a foreign mining firm have been detained in Mali, as the ruling military junta seeks greater control over the lucrative sector.

The Resolute executives were arrested on Friday at a hotel in the capital, Bamako, and taken to a specialised unit set up by the junta to tackle corruption, and economic or financial crimes, the judiciary source said.

They are being questioned over suspicions of false evidence and misappropriation of public goods, said a Resolute executive on condition of anonymity. He denied the allegations but said attempts to convince the investigators had failed so far.

Resolute holds 80 percent of a subsidiary that owns the northwestern mine of Syama, with the Malian state controlling the remaining 20 percent, according to the firm's website.

#Mali #Australia

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🇲🇱 Mali wins $160m in gold mining dispute after detaining British businessman

An Australian mining company, Resolute Mining, says it will pay Mali's military government $160m (£126m) to settle a tax dispute, after the company's British boss and two other staff were detained 10 days ago.

Reports say Terry Holohan and his colleagues were arrested while travelling to the capital city, Bamako, for what they were expecting to be routine negotiations.

Resolute, which owns a gold mine in Mali, said on Sunday it would pay $80m immediately from existing cash reserves, and the rest in the coming months.

Mali is one of Africa's top gold producers and is seeking to extract a greater share of income from foreign operators in the sector.

It is not yet clear when the three Resolute employees will be released but part of the conditions for their release were that they must sign the memorandum of understanding and complete the initial payment, according to media reports.

Mali detained the three Resolute executives on charges of forgery and damaging public property, seen as an attempt to force the Australian company amid an ongoing state crackdown on foreign - mostly Western - mining companies in the West African country.

Last year, President Col Assimi Goïta signed into law a new mining code increasing the maximum stake for state and local investors from 20% to 35%.

#Mali

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🇲🇱 Situation in Mali: Clashes in the center of the country and an ambush on a Wagner PMC convoy
Summary for November 1 - 25, 2024

Over the past month, fighting has erupted in the Mopti region of Mali, where radical Islamists from the Al-Qaeda-linked group "Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin" tried to strengthen their positions.

▪️Since the beginning of November, militants have infiltrated many villages near the city of Bandiagara, terrorizing the local population. In some of them, local self-defense units repelled the attacks.

After that, the region was placed under special surveillance by the armed forces. A significant number of UAVs and aircraft were involved to dislodge the radical Islamists from their occupied positions.

▪️Unfortunately, during the ground phase of the mopping-up operation in the villages, a cargo convoy of two vehicles with Wagner PMC fighters was ambushed by militants. The superior forces of the radical Islamists killed six Company fighters.

❗️It should be noted here that the interest is not in the incident itself, which is an integral part of combat operations, but in the reaction of the Western media, which, after the July ambush, have been more acutely responding to events in Mali.

In the context of increased attention to the Islamic State terrorists in Africa, a similar interest in the Al-Qaeda affiliates is also successfully turning into a story about the alleged inability of Russian specialists to secure the country.

This narrative is successfully embedded in the attempts of the collective West to establish a foothold in the Sahel, including through military initiatives. And through the French-language media, anti-Russian propaganda has long been undermining public trust in the Russians.

🔻Meanwhile, there are reshuffles at the highest level. Thus, Prime Minister Choguel Maiga was dismissed and replaced by Abdoulaye Maiga. The reason for his removal from office was his criticism of the transitional authorities and complaints about the restrictions on his powers.

The new Prime Minister is close to the current President of the country and is a more ardent supporter of the anti-French line. How this will affect the country and relations with foreign business - we will find out in the near future.

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#Africa #map #Mali #Sahel
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