France has stopped development aid to Mali on Thursday, citing the presence of Wagner mercenaries from Russia, according to Foreign Ministry sources and French media reports, reported The BBC News.
As per latest reports, the French government will continue humanitarian aid to Mali and support for select non-governmental groups. The media reports claim that the decision was made two to three weeks ago.
A group of French NGOs have denounced the decision in a letter sent to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, calling on him to review the position.
According to information on the website of the French Embassy in Bamako, France donated €473 million ($490 million) in aid to Mali through the French Development Agency (AFD) between 2013 and 2017.
Mali is listed at number 186 on the United Nations’ 2021 Human Development Index. The Malian government is in dire need of assistance with about 40% of its population of 20 million in need.
The country has been the target of various terrorist organizations linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh since 2011 and has had five military coups since gaining independence from France in 1960.
The diplomatic relations between France and Mali grew apart following coups in 2020 and 2021. Mali’s ruling military junta led by Assimi Goita has shunned Paris in favor of deeper relations with Russia.
France also withdrew its forces in its Barkhane operation to aid five Sahel nations fight extremist insurgencies, and has since announced a strategic review of its military presence in West Africa.
The suspension of aid is likely to adversely affect dozens of development projects that are under way or planned in the country over the coming years. This suspension comes amid the increasing isolation of Mali.
On Monday, Britain said it would withdraw its 300 troops deployed in support of the UN peacekeeping mission there over the military junta’s partnership with the Russian group Wagner.
