Vantage | Will Russia's Wagner group replace UN in Mali?

Mali, a country in West Africa and another case of UN failure, has experienced two coups in the past few years. First in 2020 and then in 2021. Its military junta has been in charge ever since, and from day one, they have had a mission to remove the UN peacekeeping forces posted in Mali. UN peacekeeping forces have been in Mali since 2013 to combat terrorist insurgencies, but Monday, the last of the UN troops began packing up. So what will Mali do now? Will the junta fight terrorists on its own? Not really; they have been working with another defence partner for years. One that has proven to be arguably more effective. It’s Russia’s controversial mercenary group, Wagner. The ceremonial lowering of the UN flag took place in Mali on Monday in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The country is still part of the UN, but it will be letting go of a UN institution—the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)—which is basically a UN peacekeeping force.

One of the many that dot Africa, MINUSMA has been in Mali for over 10 years but it was dissolved on June 30 this year. Its troops will leave Mali completely at the end of this month. “In just over two weeks’ time, MINUSMA will close its doors for good, a process that began shortly after the adoption of resolution 26-90, which followed the Malian authorities’ request for the mission to be withdrawn,” said El-Ghassim Wane, head of mission, MINUSMA. At one time, MINUSMA was the third largest UN peacekeeping force in the world. It fielded over 12,000 troops. Now, about two-thirds have left for their home countries. 10 of 13 bases have been handed over to Mali. The remaining troops will leave by December 31, the remaining bases will be returned by the turn of the year. “We leave with the conviction that we have done everything in our power to carry out the mandate given to the mission, proud of what we have been able to achieve, but also clear-sighted about the limits of our action,” said El-Ghassim Wane. MINUSMA was formed in April 2013, their mission was to protect Mali from rebel and terrorist insurgencies, northern Mali had plunged into chaos. Ethnic Tuareg rebels had captured great Swathes including cities like Gao, Timbaktu and Kidal. This instability allowed extremist groups to enter the region beginning the terrorist insurgencies in West Africa. Groups affiliated with the Islamic State and Al Qaeda gained ground in the region. MINUSMA tried to protect civilians from the insurgents but they never succeeded in ridding the area of the terror groups. That is the reason Mali wanted MINUSMA out. The ruling military junta have had enough. In 2020, and then again in 2021, Mali saw military coups, the generals took charge saying they needed to be in power to effectively fight the insurgents. They criticised MINUSMA and western troops led by France. The junta called them ineffective, and this June, they dissolved MINUSMA. Mali’s rulers also made gains against the rebels without MINUSMA’s help. But the junta hasn’t been working alone. They have had help from the infamous Wagner mercenary group which is based in Russia. You may remember them as the force that marched towards Moscow earlier this year. The mercenary force was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash in August. Wagner has been active in Africa for years, providing a steelier alternative to the UN forces. And Wagner seems to be bringing victory to Mali’s forces. Mali seized the town of Kidal from rebel forces on November 14, the country celebrated it as a victory for the junta, but they weren’t the only ones celebrating. Reports say a week after the capture, a Wagner flag was hoisted in Kidal. It was proof of the force’s effectiveness. And a way to justify the reportedly lavish pay the group receives. It earns money in the form of training Mali’s soldiers, that’s the official story anyway. Like gold mines, oil fields and lumber yards etc. For a cut of course, the group makes millions due to its operations, But Wagner’s success is also due to something else, its brutality. Unlike the UN peacekeepers, Wagner troops have no problem using overwhelming force. “What Wagner and Mali are doing is primarily intended to terrorise the population.” “The presence of the Malian army and Wagner in the Kidal region is creating panic among the civilian population of Kidal, because when the Malian army and Wagner pass through a region, people only see abuses of peaceful populations,” said Mama Touré, Kidal council member. Success through brutal force, it is bringing them victories, but at what cost? Mali’s rulers seem to think the end justifies the means, and they are done waiting for the UN peacekeepers to bring them peace. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.