class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
Several people are said to have been killed when a plane crashed in Mali, including members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. The plane that crashed during landing belonged to the Malian army, a military representative told the AFP news agency on Sunday. The plane “with allies” that crashed on Saturday was operational in Gao.
Those close to the rescuers said that when the survivors arrived, mostly Russian Wagner soldiers were seen. There was initially no official information about damage and casualties. However, those close to the airport and diplomatic circles say these could be high.
Investigators returned to the crash site on Sunday, a source at Gao Airport said. The injured had already been transported to an unknown destination by another plane on Saturday evening.
Mali has an Islamist problem
Initially, nothing was known about the cause of the crash. A representative of the Bundeswehr operational command in Mali, as part of the UN Minusma mission, said the Russian-made IL-76 aircraft may have overrun the runway on Saturday. An airport official said the crashed plane was “overloaded.”
Gao Airport is currently used by both Malian soldiers and their Russian allies, as well as the UN peacekeeping mission Minusma.
Mali has been the scene of an uprising by Islamist extremists for years, which started in the north of the country in 2012 and later spread to neighboring countries Niger and Burkina Faso. Since 2013, Minusma has been intended to help bring peace to the country and protect the civilian population.
German soldiers are still in Mali
However, the military government in Mali, which came to power in a coup in 2021, called in June for the immediate withdrawal of the UN mission from the West African country. The background is growing tensions between the junta and the countries involved in the operation. The military government is increasingly cooperating with Russia and the Wagner mercenary group and, for example, from the perspective of France and Germany, it is hindering the UN mission.
The federal government had already decided to withdraw the Bundeswehr from Mali in 2022, which should happen by the end of 2023. There are currently several hundred Bundeswehr soldiers in Mali. (AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
