A new investigative study has exposed how Russian private mercenary activities in Mali have sparked profound divisions inside the country’s army and transitional military administration, increasing concerns about Moscow’s position in the West African country even as economic and political relations strengthen.
- The Sentry’s study highlights tensions within Mali’s military caused by Russian Wagner mercenary activities.
- Wagner forces were accused of operational inefficiencies and working independently from Malian commands, impacting battles.
- Malian soldiers expressed discontent due to the preferential treatment and resource access of Wagner troops.
- Despite Wagner’s departure, Russian influence persists through the Africa Corps and strengthened Mali-Russia economic ties.
The Sentry, an investigative research group, released a report detailing how Wagner fighters, who initially entered Mali during the 2020 and 2021 coups, frequently damaged rather than strengthened military operations.
Wagner stepped in after Mali’s junta ousted French and UN soldiers who had been fighting Islamist terrorists for more than a decade.
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According to interviews with Malian troops, intelligence officers, and government officials, Wagner mercenaries regularly worked outside of the chain of command, seizing army equipment and carrying out unilateral missions without permission.
Unauthorized activities occasionally resulted in the loss of vehicles, weapons, and men, while others left Malian soldiers stranded without crucial resources during rebel strikes.
The investigation also indicated animosity among Mali’s military forces, with troops voicing dissatisfaction with the preferential treatment given to Russian fighters, as well as the issue of human rights abuse.
For example, mercenaries frequently received precedence for medical evacuations, a luxury that many Malian troops could not have owing to acute fuel and logistics constraints.
“Wagner fighters have created chaos and fear within the Malian military hierarchy, forcing the Forces Armées Maliennes (Malian Armed Forces, or FAMA) to remain silent in cases of civilian abuse,” the report reads.
“In addition, the lack of order and communication within the chain of command has led to the progressive deterioration of the FAMA’s ranks.
Abuses against the Malian armed forces by Wagner troops have increased, as have complaints from Malian soldiers.
Within the Malian military junta itself, the varying degrees of partnership with Russian actors are contributing to a shift in power relations in Bamako, as Malian leaders regard one another with suspicion,” it adds.
Though Wagner officially left Mali in June, its presence has been substantially recreated by the Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary organization of up to 80% former Wagner members, according to Russian mercenary-linked Telegram channels, as reported by Reuters.
Tale of Mali and Russia in recent weeks
While the Sentry report highlights tensions between Russian agents and Mali’s security forces, the larger relationship between Bamako and Moscow reveals a different narrative.
Mali’s political and economic connections with Russia have strengthened, not weakened, in 2024.
In June, Mali’s government announced the establishment of SOROMA-SA, a state-controlled gold refinery co-owned with Russian corporation Yadran.
Yadran will control 38%, while the Malian state will own 62%, as per the agreement reached.
The refinery, which is currently under construction near Bamako’s international airport, will be capable of processing 200 metric tons of gold per year, more than four times the country’s existing capacity of 50 tons.
With a gold purity level of 99.5%, the refinery is designed to help Mali extract more value from its massive mineral endowment while reducing reliance on Western partners.
This demand for economic autonomy is consistent with the larger objective of the AES bloc (Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger), which recently ejected French military soldiers and Western mining firms in favor of more control over their natural resources.
Aside from mining, Russia and Mali are increasing collaboration in commerce, security, and defense.
During a June state visit to Moscow, Mali’s transitional leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, met with President Vladimir Putin to sign new economic and security cooperation agreements.
Earlier in April, Russia offered to provide weapons and military training to the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc consisting of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
