6, October 2021
Mali’s foreign ministry summons French ambassador to protest Macron comments 0
Mali’s foreign ministry summoned France’s ambassador to Bamako on Tuesday over comments by President Emmanuel Macron that it said were unfriendly and disagreeable.
This is the latest salvo in a tense dispute between Mali and its key military partner France over reports Bamako could recruit Russian mercenaries as Paris reshapes its 5,000-strong counter-terrorism mission in the region.
Mali’s prime minister has accused France of abandoning it in the joint fight against Islamist insurgents. Macron last week rejected the charge and questioned the legitimacy of the Malian authorities overseeing a transition to elections after two coups in just over a year.
In response, the Malian foreign ministry said it had summoned the French ambassador to inform him of the authorities’ indignation and disapproval.
At the meeting, Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop “strongly protested (Macron’s) regrettable remarks, which are likely to harm the development of friendly relations,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said Diop also called for the two sides to take a constructive approach and prioritise countering the insurgency in the region.
Violence in the Sahel, a band of arid land that borders the south edge of the Sahara Desert, has intensified in recent years despite the presence of thousands of United Nations, regional and Western troops.
Diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters that Mali’s year-old military junta is close to recruiting the Russian Wagner Group, and France has launched a diplomatic drive to thwart it, saying such an arrangement is incompatible with a continued French presence.
(REUTERS)
7, October 2021
Yaoundé tries to restructure as Southern Cameroons war becomes more violent 0
In recent weeks, Cameroon’s anglophone separatists have carried out a series of deadly ambushes against the Cameroonian army which have been on a bigger scale than anything yet seen since the start of the conflict five years ago. The army high command wants to change strategy but has yet to say how it intends to proceed.
At least three Cameroonian soldiers were killed on Thursday in an ambush by separatist fighters in the country’s restive Anglophone region of Northwest, according to local and security sources.
Separatist fighters ambushed soldiers who were on patrol in Bamali village of the region and opened fire on them, according to a military official who asked not to be named.
A video of the ambush filmed by separatist fighters went viral on social media in the Central African nation.
Clashes between government forces and separatist fighters were also reported early Thursday in at least seven parts of the region, according to security reports.
Reported by Africa Intelligence and Cameroon Concord News