The Africa Corps, a Kremlin-backed paramilitary force, announced it will maintain its presence in Mali following the recent departure of the Wagner mercenary group.
- The Africa Corps announced it will maintain its presence in Mali after Wagner’s withdrawal.
- Wagner operated in Mali for over three years, reclaiming territories from Islamist militants.
- The Africa Corps aims to shift toward training local forces and supplying equipment.
The Russian-backed Africa Corps has announced it will remain in Mali, following Wagner’s decision to end its three-year mission fighting Islamist militants and begin withdrawing its forces.
Wagner’s involvement in Mali began after the country’s military junta, which took power through two coups in 2020 and 2021, expelled French and United Nations troops who had been combating Islamist insurgents for nearly a decade.
Wagner posted on social media that it had successfully reclaimed all of Mali’s regional centers from Islamist forces, pushing them out and killing their commanders.
Transition from Wagner to Africa Corps
Following Wagner’s exit, the Africa Corps was created with support from the Russian Defence Ministry after Wagner’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and commander Dmitry Utkin led a failed mutiny against Russian army leadership and fled to Belarus, confirmed it would continue Russia’s paramilitary presence in Mali.
On its Telegram channel, the Africa Corps stated that Wagner’s departure “does not signify a loss of Russian influence,” adding, “Russia does not lose ground, but on the contrary, continues to support Bamako now at a more fundamental level,” referring to Mali’s capital city.
Experts, including Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, suggest this shift may signal a change in Russia’s engagement from direct combat toward training local forces and providing equipment.
Ongoing security challenges
Despite the transition, Mali continues to face serious security threats. A series of recent attacks by Islamist insurgents reportedly killed more than 100 Malian soldiers and mercenaries.
One bombing near Bamako targeted both Malian and Russian forces, illustrating the volatile situation.
The insurgent group Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), active in the Sahel region, claimed responsibility for several recent attacks, further heightening the ongoing threat.
The Malian defense ministry has not commented on the transition between Wagner and Africa Corps forces. Still, Russia’s continuing paramilitary presence highlights the complex security landscape and Mali’s reliance on foreign support to combat insurgency.
Fathia Olasupo
