Mali is receiving more fighter jets and helicopters from Russia, its main military and political ally. It is the latest in a series of deliveries after others in March and August 2022. The African country would have involved Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in its fight against jihadist armed groups.
Wagner Group mercenaries fighting the jihadists
“The will to modernize and equip our army is not only linked to a crisis, but responds to a fundamental need to ensure the security of the population,” said the Malian defense minister at a ceremony attended by the head of the Malian junta, Colonel Assimi Goita attended, and Russian Ambassador Igor Gromyko at Modibo-Keïta International Airport in Bamako.
The cargo included Sukhoi fighter jets and Soviet-designed helicopters to transport troops and weapons to defend ground positions.
“Mali’s defense and security forces are now respected”
Colonel Sadio Camara, defense minister, added that “Mali’s defense and security forces are now respected and convey a positive image of the country to all partners.”
France is not sympathetic to this rapprochement between Russia and Mali, and the delivery of these weapons is a delicate matter that is rekindling historic tensions between Paris and Moscow.