DISINFO: Wagner is not present in Mali
SUMMARY
There is no Wagner [private military company] in Mali.
Mali doesn't even know what Wagner is. It is once again an invention of the former colonial power which is clearly behind the ECOWAS sanctions and which continues to exploit several organisations against Mali.
RESPONSE
Recurrent denial of the Kremlin's actions in African countries.
In December 2021, European countries expressed their concern about the development of the Wagner mercenary group in Mali and the EU decided on restrictive measures against the Wagner Group and related individuals involved in serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, or in destabilising activities in some of the countries they operate in, including Libya, Syria, Ukraine (Donbas) and the Central African Republic.
In January 2022, the European Union will impose sanctions on Mali in line with measures already taken by the ECOWAS grouping of West African states, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
Pretending that the Wagner group doesn’t exist and was invented by ex-colonialists to justify sanctions against Mali and the Wagner group is not a credible position, though a classic denial strategy in disinformation.
Read also related cases: Wagner is a private military company with no links to the Kremlin, There is no link between Russia and Wagner despite what Germany and France say.