Russian forces suffered their worst defeat in Mali since the war in Syria: local Tuareg Muslims defeated a unit of Wagner fighters on July 27, after which the army promised to hand over captured soldiers to Ukraine. I learned how an attack on Russians in Mali became an opportunity to talk about the presence of Ukrainian forces and assets on the African continent and the need to strengthen contacts with countries in the Global South. Focus.
Tuaregs – Warriors of the Sahara
In the African Republic of Mali, Tuareg rebels (representatives of the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development movement) destroyed dozens of mercenaries of the so-called private military company Wagner.
The Tuareg are an ethnic group living in the Sahara region, particularly in parts of northern Mali. The group launched an uprising against the Malian junta government in 2012 and declared the establishment of their own separate state, Azawad, in the area between Mali, Niger and Algeria.
For more than a week the day before, Russian telegram channels had been writing about the “imminent defeat of the Islamic Tuareg separatists.”
The Russians believed that the operation of the Malian army together with the Russian Afrika Korps (created from the remnants of Wagner) was quite successful – they managed to seize control of a settlement near the Algerian border and seize a gold mine. Wagnerites and Malian troops operated in Chinese armored vehicles and SUVs, supported by attack helicopters.
But then a sandstorm came and the Tuareg tried their luck by setting up an ambush. Reuters recorded that fighting continued for two days in the border town of Tinzauaten, close to the Algerian border. Finally, the Tuareg announced the seizure of armoured vehicles, a truck and a tank. And also about neutralising the Wagnerites. True, the exact number of deaths is unknown; we are talking about 20-80 people. The BBC contacted a former Wagner soldier who said at least 82 mercenaries were killed.
Among the dead was the Wagnerite “Bely”. The administrator of the most popular Telegram channel of the time of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gray Zone, acted under this call sign. And also “Lotus” – Anton Elizarov. Has the title of Hero of Russia. He fought in Syria, the Central African Republic, Libya, and also in Ukraine – he participated in the capture of the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region.
Experts say the scale of the losses in the Wagner units is large, and the unit has not been seen in Africa since the Syrian operation in Deir province, when a Wagner convoy was attacked by American helicopters in February 2018. The subsequent fighting killed between 200 and 300 soldiers who attacked the American-held facility.
Meanwhile, Wagner confirmed that his army had died in Mali. The company’s statement was published on the telegram channel “Evacuation Wagner”, close to the PMC.
“Wagner” in Mali: murders and torture
The “Wagnerians” appeared in Mali in 2021. They previously operated in Libya, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and the Central African Republic.
That year, another coup took place in Mali – Colonel Assimi Goita came to power and overthrew Ibrahim Keita. Goita is still the interim president; the country has not held elections. Immediately after the coup, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the cessation of operations in Mali and the withdrawal of the five thousand-strong French peacekeeping force that was called in to control the situation with the Tuareg. Colonel Goita invited the “Vargerites” to replace the French, “to train the army, protect the authorities” and also to control gold mining. Despite the war in Ukraine, the Russian military formation managed to establish itself in Mali. The unit was deployed in November 2021 and established several military bases by September 2022.
Important
After the arrival of Russian mercenaries in Mali, locals accused the Wagners of murder, torture, kidnapping, robbery, intimidation and other crimes, and only a fraction of the cases were investigated and intervened in by local authorities.
Wagner did not leave Mali and other African countries after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin. On the contrary, Russian authorities tried to influence the cranes where the Wagnerites were located. Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov personally went to Africa. As a result of the trip, the previously mentioned Afrika Korps were established. However, there was no official transfer from Wagner to him.
Was the attack on Wagner in Mali the work of Ukrainians?
Military expert Ivan Stupak immediately suggested that not only the Malian Tuaregs, but also special services could play a role in the destruction of a significant Wagner group. He mentions America, Russia, Ukraine.
So the Russians could take revenge on the Wagnerites for their protests in 2023; Russian special services have a habit of delaying punishment. The Americans could help the Tuaregs with intelligence to set up ambushes. And pass them on through the Ukrainian special services – GUR units have already been spotted at approximately this location.
In September 2023, a CNN investigation suggested that Ukrainian intelligence services may have been involved in drone strikes against Russian Wagner Group associates in Sudan.
Stupak draws attention to the news that the Tuaregs claimed after the attack that not only the “Wagnerites” were killed, but also the prisoners they were ready to hand over to Ukraine to be exchanged with the Russian Federation.
Let us remind you that on Monday, July 29, the Kyiv Post published a photo of Tuaregs with the Ukrainian flag and confirmed the authenticity of the photo, citing sources in the Security and Defense Forces. “Yes, this is definitely a photo of Tuaregs after the defeat of the Wagner PMC terrorist column,” the interlocutor said.
The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Andrei Yusov, traditionally neither confirms nor denies anything after the news from Mali. He only states that “the rebels received not only the information that allowed them to conduct a successful military operation against Russian war criminals, but also the necessary information.” “We will not talk about the details yet, there will be more,” Yusov said.
Now experts say that after the losses, the Russian Federation may withdraw some of the Afrika Korps fighters, former “Wagnerites”, from the Kharkov region, where they were recently expelled, as control over Africa is important.
The struggle for influence: Russia and China in Africa
Political analyst Alexander Kovalenko notes that after Prigozhin’s hysterical attack on Moscow, the Wagner army began to lose its influence in Africa. “It was gradually removed from various platforms of influence, and the most striking example was the complete replacement of the Wagners in Burkina Faso by the Afrika Korps. But the pace of spread of the Afrika Korps’ influence slowed down somewhat,” he says.
Important
Mali is an important country for the Russian Federation, where he primarily wants to control gold mining and make a profit. And the importance of this country, according to Kovalenko, was evidenced by the presence there of Anton Elizarov himself. It was Lotus that was supposed to give new life to the Wagner group after the liquidation of Prigozhin, but this did not happen – he left for Mali.
Defense Express expert Ivan Kirichevsky says FocusThere is not enough information to adequately assess the situation, but this much is clear: Africa is important to the Kremlin because Moscow is trying to maintain its presence on the African continent despite the resource-consuming war in Ukraine.
“Even at the height of the Bakhmut battles at the beginning of 2023, at least a thousand “Wagner bayonets” remained in Mali, and they received at least ten million dollars a month for their “services” to the central government of the country and unlimited access to the exploitation of mineral deposits,” he notes. It was not for nothing that the Russian Federation transferred aircraft to Mali in the period 2022-2023 – as if for the local air force, but in fact – for the Wagnerites. These were both Mi-24P attack helicopters and Su-25 attack aircraft.
At the same time, Ukraine, which has announced that it is deepening its relations with the Global South, does not attach much importance to Africa, where the interests of the Russian Federation and China are intertwined and their spheres of influence are distributed.
On the African continent, countries such as Mali or Libya have a demand for weapons; China supplies its light armored vehicles or drones. Let’s recall the scandal in early July 2024, when they tried to transport three containers containing so-called “wind turbines” to Libya via Italy, but in fact they contained Wing Loong reconnaissance and attack drones with related equipment and weapons. And in general, over the past decade, not only Russia, but also China has been trying to establish and strengthen official and unofficial relations with African countries in the struggle for resources and markets. In particular, through paramilitary influence, Chinese “private” security firms are modernizing the Wagner experience.
Source: Focus
Bridger is a political journalist at 24 News Breaker, covering the Politics section with over 5 years of experience. Known for their detail-oriented reporting, Bridger delivers insightful and engaging analysis on political issues.