Fast forward a dozen years, and the view looks very different from NATO headquarters in Brussels. But there appears to be a consensus among NATO members heading into the Madrid summit that while Russia remains concern No. In Mali, Wagner soldiers are filling a void created by the exit of former colonial power France. French President Emmanuel Macron has long called for a “greater involvement” from NATO in the Sahel region. The foreign minister of Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa, is also invited to attend a working dinner of fellow foreign ministers at the NATO summit.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 26, 2022 19:14 UTC