Mali Receives Helicopters from Russia

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Mali Defense Minister, Colonel Sadio Camara, received yesterday, Thursday, 4 military helicopters, arms, and ammunition from Russia, and praised Moscow's reliability and seriousness.

Appearing via video, Camara pointed out that the Russian helicopters "were entirely acquired within the national budget."

According to the colonel, the received helicopters and equipment are based on a contract signed in December 2020, which came into force in June 2021.

"The extreme rapidity with which this contract was drawn up shows the reliability and seriousness of this partnership which has always give us satisfaction in the framework of exchanges where both sides gain," expressed Camara.         

It is worth noting that Malian Prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, accused France of abandoning his country with a "unilateral" decision to withdraw its troops, and justified Bamako's search of "other partners" to boost security.

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron told Radio France Internationale on Thursday that he was "shocked" by Maiga's "unacceptable" reaction.

Last week, on the sidelines of last week's UN General Assembly, European countries warned the Malian government against hiring Russian paramilitary, Wagner Group.

French troops first launched Operation Serval and intervened in Mali in 2013 under the pretext of "ending the control of extreme Islamists" that started in 2012 in some Malian towns. However, the instability continued even within the French presence.