France, now in the process of drawing down [15] its military presence in West Africa's Sahel nations, has criticized [16] plans that could see Russian mercenaries brought to Mali, where jihadist groups tied to ISIS or al-Qaeda operate in large parts of the country. Reports [17] suggest that Mali's transitional government [24] is considering a deal with the Wagner Group [18], which has close links to Vladimir Putin and is also active in Central African Republic [19]. The Coordinating Body of Azawad Movements (CMA [20]), a coalition of Tuareg rebel groups that signed a peace deal with the Malian government in 2015, likewise expressed [21] its "firm opposition" to any agreement to bring in the Wagner Group. (TNH [25])
