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Mali: Wagner flag hoisted over Kidal fort
Wagner's presence in Mali is becoming less and less discreet. More than a week after the Malian army and Russian paramilitaries retook Kidal, the private company's mercenaries raised their banner on the city's fort. A symbol that clearly did not please the Malian authorities, who spoke falsely of false information.
Contrary to what some Internet users claim on social networks, the Wagner flag was indeed hoisted on the fort of Kidal. © Screenshots/ RFI Editing
By: Olivier Fourt Follow | Grégory Genevrier Follow
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The video went viral on social media on Wednesday, November 22. A flag, difficult to identify, is hoisted by two men atop the fort in Kidal, in northern Mali. On this standard, there is a motif in the centre of a black banner, probably the skull, symbol of the Wagner Group. After 40 seconds, a white man's hand enters the field, and makes a sign, thumb and pinky finger outstretched in front of the building. A gesture inspired by surfers, but also found in Western armies, meaning, "relax everything is fine".
#Mali the banner of #Wagner hoisted at #Kidal those who won this battle mark the territory. pic.twitter.com/ESpXvXnzSf
— Wassim Nasr (@SimNasr) November 22, 2023
This video first appeared on the Wagner Group's Telegram channel on November 21, 2023 at 17 p.m. CEST. In Russian, one can read the comment "the Wagner PMC flag flies proudly in the center of Kidal."
The video was posted on a Wagner Telegram account at 21 p.m. on Nov. 17. © Screenshot/ RFI Editing
According to the footage, the skull flag was raised as a sign of victory after the city was taken by Russian paramilitaries and the Malian army on November 14, 2023.
The flag, which is difficult to identify, seems to correspond to that of Wagner. © Screenshots/ RFI Editing
Very quickly, on social networks, accounts opposed to Bamako suggested that this was an attack on Mali's sovereignty. On November 22, at 15 p.m., the Dirpa tried to turn the tide. The Malian army's communication service published a screenshot of the video on its accounts with the words "Fake news"
pic.twitter.com/zS92DNUigs
— Malian Armed Forces (@FAMa_DIRPA) November 22, 2023
Accounts considered to be close to the junta in Bamako then moved to pass off the video as a fake. Some claim, wrongly, that it is not the fort of Kidal, or that this video has been manipulated. Internet users point out the turquoise green color visible on some parts of the fort. In reality, the fort has been repainted in the yellow and green colours of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA), the Tuareg political and military movement.
Photos, seen by RFI and published on social networks on the afternoon of Wednesday (November 22nd), show Fama people hanging the Malian flag on the mast of the same building.
For some, these pictures would be proof that Wagner's flag did not overlook the fort of Kidal. However, several Malian sources consulted by RFI assure that the Wagner flag was initially raised, before being removed and replaced by the Malian national colors.
The Malian flag replaced the Wagner flag on the afternoon of Wednesday 22 November. © Screenshots/ RFI Editing
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