Photo : AP/The Guardian
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : AP/The Guardian
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar and Anu Maria Joseph
Mali: UN criticises military government’s partnership with Wagner
On 26 October, the US State Department's undersecretary for political affairs said Mali’s security situation had significantly worsened because of the military government’s choices, including its relations with Russia’s Wagner Group. The official said that the US ability to assist Mali on its security was limited “by the choice that the Mali government made to get into bed with Wagner.” The US official claimed that with the Mali government’s invitation to Wagner, terrorism had increased by 30 per cent and that there are “broad reports of human rights abuses across the region where (Wagner forces) are working.” The official added: “We worry that these forces are not interested in the safety and security of the people of Mali, but instead are interested in enriching themselves and strip-mining the country -- and are making the terrorism situation worse.” (“US blames Russia's Wagner Group for worsening security in Mali,” France24, 27 October 2022)
Zambia: World Bank approves USD 279 million loan
On 27 October, the World Bank said that it has approved a USD 270 million loan to Zambia to help it recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and to manage the debt crisis. In August, the International Monetary Fund had approved a USD 1.3 billion loan to help Zambia to restructure its loan as it failed to repay the same since 2020. In addition, the president of the World Bank has called on other countries to help reduce Zambia's debt. (“World Bank approves $275 million in development support for Zambia,” Africanews, 27 October 2022)