Russia's Wagner Group withdraws from Mali

The Russian mercenary group revealed it had accomplished its objectives, holding back Islamist groups in the western African state. However, Russia will continue to have a presence in Mali, through the Kremlin-backed paramilitary Africa Corps.

In a post on its Telegram channel, Wagner said that, with all of the country's regional centers back under the control of the military junta in Bamako, its mission in Mali had reached a successful conclusion.

"Private Military Company Wagner returns home," the group announced.

It brings to an end Wagner's three-and-a-half year engagement in the west African state, which began when army chiefs ousted French and UN-backed forces following a coup d'etat in 2021. 

Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency against armed Islamist groups, including some allied with al-Qaida, across the Sahel. 

The violence has seen tens of thousands of young Malians flee the country for new lives in Europe, many taking the treacherous Atlantic route on small boats to Spain's Canary Islands.   

The Wagner Group, which had already been expanding its presence across Africa, arrived in Mali in December that year. It pledged to replace French fighters deployed under the Paris brokered 'Operation Barkhane', leading the fightback against jihadist forces in West Africa. 

But the operation was widely attacked by the U.S. and European countries, who claimed the Moscow-backed mercenary force posed a wider security risk for Mali, with probable negative consequences for the civilian population. 

In February, Mali's army launched a probe into the shooting of 24 people, including many from the Tuareg minority, during an ambush on a vehicle convoy near the northern city of Gao. It followed claims of Wagner involvement.     

Last month, the UN urged Malian authorities to broaden the scope of their investigations to include allegations of summary executions and forced disappearances by mercenaries.

Soldiers killed 

Despite Wagner's military presence in Mali, violence has continued. Its pullout comes a week after a group linked to Al Qaeda killed over 30 Malian soldiers at an army base in the north of the country.  Neither does Wagner's departure signal the end of Russia's involvement in the country.  

Moscow has been developing the Africa Corps as a rival force to Wagner after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in 2023. The Africa Corps has announced it will maintain its presence in Mali after Wagner leaves, with an operation centered on training local forces and supplying military equipment.

By some estimates up to 80 percent of Africa Corps fighters are comprised of former Wagner mercenaries