The military junta in Mali says it is reviewing a series of what it calls “unbalanced” defense agreements with former colonial power France.
Junta leader Assimi Goita used his speech marking the 61st anniversary of the Malian army to emphasise the need to scrutinize some military cooperation agreements with France.
“Through an objective analysis of the current context and taking into account the vital interests of our country, we have requested the review of certain military cooperation agreements. At the same time, new agreements have been signed, always with the essential objective of securing Malians and their property” he said.
Although he did not mention France, Giota’s allusion to the ex colonial power is quite clear.
A few days earlier, Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maiga described the defence agreements between Mali and France as ‘unbalanced.’
“We want to restudy the unbalanced agreements that make us a state that cannot even fly over its territory without France’s authorization,” he said.
On January 11, 2013, Bamako and Paris had signed a series of defense agreements as part of the Serval military operation following the outbreak of the war in the Sahel.
These were five-year agreements renewable by tacit agreement as part of the European Union (EU) Task Force known as Barkhane, then Takuba.
This security pact ratified on July 16, 2014 between French Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the late Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK), gives a legal base for French forces to intervene in Mali.
It also allows France to “contribute to lasting peace and security, particularly by securing border areas and fighting terrorism”.
It further allows access to Malian territory, including its territorial waters and airspace, with the prior consent of the state.
But the absence of an eternity clause allows each party to amend the treaty in writing, the details of the agreement say, as the Malian government is now requesting.
Mali appears keen to put an end to some French privileges on its soil, such as the visa exemptions granted to France’s military personnel, and to impose more control over the import of military equipment.
The geopolitical context has evolved with a resurgence of Russian presence in Mali following the recent signing of military cooperation agreements between Moscow and Bamako.
The military authorities in Mali now prefer bilateral agreements with each country, including France.
This clarification made by Assimi Goita confirms the disenchantment that can be felt by Bamako toward Paris.
The transition government in Bamako sees France’s hand behind the recent sanctions imposed on Mali by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
CD/fss/as/APA