Mali: When the unexplained and inexplicable presence of the DGSE causes outrage throughout the AES area
A wind of astonishment is blowing across the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) following the revelation of information as surprising as it is troubling: French DGSE agents are reportedly still operating on Malian territory despite the clear will of the Malian people—and, by extension, the people of the Sahel—to sever all military and intelligence cooperation with France.
This revelation has sparked legitimate confusion among Mali’s partners. In Ouagadougou as in Niamey, observers and civil society organizations are questioning: how can the continued presence of these agents be explained after the supposed termination of cooperation agreements? Questions abound in AES capitals, where this paradoxical situation is viewed with disbelief.
Civil society in the Sahel-Saharan space has not hidden its indignation. Several civic organizations and think tanks have voiced deep concern, describing the situation as outdated and contrary to the principles of sovereignty promoted by the AES.
“The continued presence of DGSE agents in Mali is an unacceptable violation of national sovereignty and a challenge to the coherence of the AES’s common position,” protested a civil society leader specializing in security issues.
Expectations now turn to the Malian authorities, as regional civil society calls on them to “resolve without delay” a situation that has become untenable. The credibility of the AES’s common stance and the consistency of its struggle for total emancipation largely depend on the resolution of this diplomatic and security anomaly.
Regional international relations experts stress the urgency for Mali to complete its sovereignty process by fully aligning its territorial reality with its official diplomatic positions. The departure of DGSE agents thus appears to be the missing piece in the puzzle of Mali’s—and indeed the AES’s—strategic independence.
