‘Putin Secret Army’ Wagner Group Might Be Allowed to Operate in Mali Soon

Mali’s military junta is in talks with Russian private security group Wagner to hire up to a thousand mercenaries in the West African country, two French sources said on Tuesday. French Defense Minister Florence Parly has warned Mali against a deal with Russian private security group Wagner amid claims the country’s military government is close to hiring 1,000 mercenaries.  Such a deal could push already fraying relations between Paris and Bamako to breaking point, and underscore a growing Russian influence in a region where former colonial power France has been the unrivalled foreign presence for decades. A deal is…