At Least 21 Killed in Mali Drone Strike
Rebel groups have claimed that drone strikes on Sunday killed at least 21 people in the northern Mali town of Tinzaouaten. The statement comes from the Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), a rebel coalition....
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Facts
- Rebel groups have claimed that drone strikes on Sunday killed at least 21 people in the northern Mali town of Tinzaouaten. The statement comes from the Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), a rebel coalition.[1]
- The death toll includes 11 children, the coalition says, with the strikes reportedly hitting a pharmacy and a group of people. Tinzaouaten was hit by airstrikes in July of this year by government forces, in retaliation for the killing of government troops and Wagner mercenary fighters.[2]
- The conflict in Mali was renewed in 2023, with the roots of the conflict dating back to 2012. A military coup in 2020 has seen the army fighting for control of the country.[3][2][4]
- While Mali and Wagner have not confirmed the death toll of the July attack, rebel groups say 84 mercenaries and 47 soldiers were killed, while an al-Qaida affiliated group says that they killed 50 Wagner members and 10 Malian soldiers.[5]
- The CSP-DPA has attributed the attack to the Malian army and Wagner while saying that the drone was operated by the neighboring country of Burkina Faso. Mali's leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, requested the assistance of Wagner in dealing with their insurgency after breaking off ties with France.[1][2]
- In a statement, Mali called the strike a 'precision' attack that targeted 'terrorists.' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the Wagner mercenaries in Mali are only there for instructional purposes while expressing Russia's 'firm support' for Mali's military government.[4]
Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]WE News English, [4]Medafricatimes and [5]Voice of America.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. This was a cowardly attack on a civilian population from an illegitimate military junta and their allies. Far from being an internal conflict, Mali has suffered under the pernicious influence of Russian mercenaries that prop up dictators and give them proxies they can use to evade sanctions. Russia is further destabilizing African countries, and the state of affairs would be much improved without their presence.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Eurasiareview. This was retaliation for a brutal attack against combatants, and we must be skeptical of rebel reports. Now, the West that failed to protect African nations from terrorism is lecturing them for taking action against it. This is due to the fact that Russia has become a fitting partner to actually deal with the security challenges Mali faces. Their spurning of Mali shows that the West's operations were about control, not counterterrorism.
