France has warned that the deployment of Russia’s Wagner mercenaries to West Africa’s Sahel region would be “unacceptable.” This week, Russia pledged to continue military cooperation with Mali – and said it would provide the country with the necessary equipment, weapons, and ammunition to fight terrorism.

France’s armed forces and foreign ministers have told their Russian counterparts that the move would create “risks of regional destabilization and damage to the interests of France and its partners engaged in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.”

If the main objective is to fight against terrorism, should these two Western powers not be working together?