What does Iran want from Mali? Details
Iran has been trying to break Mali’s regional and international isolation, which has been growing for two years following a military coup that spawned an “illegitimate authority that refused to hand over power to civilians or organize quick elections. It has concluded an agreement with the Russian group Wagner to bring in mercenary fighters to fight armed groups.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Bamako, Mali, and co-chaired meetings of the joint co-operation committee, AFP reported.
The Iranians offered security and military aid to Mali, which years ago became the main focus of terrorist group activity in the Sahel, foremost among them ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
In this context, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop expressed his country’s satisfaction with the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister and held talks with him on cooperation and strategic partnership.
A source in the Malian capital said that agreements in the economic, commercial and technological fields were drafted in preparatory meetings for experts from the Iranian Joint Financial Committee, but it is not excluded to conclude agreements related to obtaining weapons, ammunition and money from Tehran.
Mali is facing growing ethnic violence and the expansion of terrorist organizations, primarily ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Macina Brigade, as well as a large-scale insurgency by Tuareg and Arab separatist armed groups demanding independence for the Azawad region, which borders Algeria and Mauritania.
France started to withdraw its troops gradually from Mali after the August 2020 coup, and tensions between Paris and its former colony escalated. The last soldiers of the Barkhane force crossed the border into Niger this month.
