https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00079639.html
Mali, which is presently a war torn country, was about to hire paramilitaries from Russian private-security firm Wagner. This firm has a reputation for being very close to Vladimir Putin and is considered to be dangerous by the EU. Malian defence minister Colonel Sadio Camara told Parly that France’s “abandonment” of Mali meant that they had to consider all options. According to Joseph Seigle, Russia has been trying to expand their influence to Mali. “The essence of the prospective Wagner deal, then, is an unaccountable junta leader vying to bring in unaccountable mercenaries. It’s not hard to imagine how this could turn out badly.”
Mali seems to be very agitated about France’s troop drawdown because they are now, more than ever, in need of help. Russia is most definitely taking advantage of this by creating a way of leaving the EU and becoming more in relation with Russia. Russia trying to expand its influence to Mali is concerning because of how massive Mali’s population is and how rich Mali’s is in natural resources. This could become a very powerful alliance and become concerning to Russia’s enemies. Mali is completely in the right to leave the EU and join the Russians because the French and the EU have both withdrawn troops and/or “not keeping enough attention.” The French should continue to support the Malians so that they can continue to have a relationship with their country.
This directly relates to class because it is an example of a country potentially leaving one of the largest IGOs in the world. The EU which is a political and economic IGO and consists of almost all of the European countries. Mali is a part of an IGO as well which is called ECOWAS. ECOWAS is a political and Military IGO that helps create self-sustaining countries.