The Diplomat
Defense Minister Margarita Robles yesterday warned her EU counterparts that the European presence in Mali is “essential” to avoid “a disaster” similar to the one in Afghanistan.
Robles participated yesterday in a videoconference meeting with the defense ministers of fifteen EU countries, convened by her French counterpart, Florence Parly, to address the situation in Mali. During the meeting, the ministers shared their concern about the difficult political and security situation the country is going through and discussed the objectives and progress of international missions on Malian territory, including the European Union Training Mission, in which the Spanish Armed Forces have been participating since its inception in 2013.
“Spain currently contributes the largest contingent to this mission, which continues to try to advance along the lines established by the European Union for the fifth Mandate, and also provides logistical support with intra-theater airlift to the United Nations Mission MINUSMA, the G5 Sahel Group and operations Barkhane and Takuba, led by France,” the Ministry of Defense highlighted in a press release.
In his speech, Robles warned that the situation in Mali “is going through a very complicated moment”, so the presence of the EU in the country is “essential” if the necessary security conditions are to be created for the democratic governance and development initiatives of the Malian population to prosper. The international contribution, “even if the conditions are not easy”, is “fundamental to avoid a governance vacuum in Mali and a disaster as happened in Afghanistan”, said the minister.
Mali is key to curbing jihadist terrorism and other challenges facing the security of the EU and the other countries of the Sahel and northwest Africa. For this reason, the Minister stressed the importance of continuing to do everything possible to maintain the commitments of the international forces present in Mali, especially those of the European Union and the UN.
The same line was expressed by the European Foreign Ministers at their meeting on January 24, chaired by the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, and in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, took part.
At that meeting, the heads of European diplomacy condemned the presence of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner in Mali, as well as the decision taken by the Malian authorities (following the coup d’état of May 2021) to extend the transition period to four years. Borrell also announced that there is a political agreement to adopt sanctions against those hindering the transition, in solidarity with the decision taken recently by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
