According to a report, the russian mercenary group wagner have been accused of atrocities in the Sahel. Reportedly, Washington based anti corruption organisation, The Sentry claimed that wagner have been perfecting a blue print for state capture in the Central African Republic in order to plunder natural resources, particularly gold and diamonds. According to the report, the CAR is one of the poorest and most fragile countries despite its natural resources.
Reportedly, the Sahel suffers from land degradation due to contaminated water, the u.n. say this is due to global warming, deforestation, industrial waste and agrichemicals such as pesticides. Not probable. It is possible that pathogens used to clear the land for mining have contaminated the water. Insect vectors have been used as biological weapons against against human beings, animals and crops, termed entomological warfare. Land degradation refers to the loss of the productive capacity of the soil. According to a report, over a third of the land in Burkina Faso is degraded and over 50% of people in Burkina Faso and Niger and 3.5 million in Mali lack access to safe water, a major cause of disease and death. Reportedly, an estimated 315,000 children die in Africa every year because of a lack of safe water.
Wagner arrived in Mali in 2022 adjacent to the french withdrawal. There have been suspicions concerning the exploitation of natural resources, particularly gold. According to a report, the Mali foreign minister has asked minusma to leave without delay, and the mandate will be terminated on Friday though the u.n say their personnel will stay until the end of the year.