Wagner group announces withdrawal from Mali

The Russian paramilitary Wagner Group has announced its withdrawal from Mali, citing the “completion of its main mission” in the West African country. The group, which has been operating alongside the Malian military since 2021 to combat Islamist insurgents, made the announcement via its Telegram channel.

Wagner claimed it had “fought terrorism side-by-side with the people of Mali,” adding that its forces had killed “thousands of militants and their commanders, who terrorised civilians for years,” Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

The paramilitary group claims that in 3.5 years it had eliminated “four terrorist ringleaders, thousands of militants and 11 of their strongholds.”

The announcement coincided with reports that Malian troops had pulled out from a major army base in central Mali, following a second deadly attack on the site in less than a week. Mali has faced a militant Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, and in recent weeks, attacks by jihadist groups have escalated across the region.

On June 1, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group, said it carried out a major assault on the army base in Boulikessi, killing more than 30 soldiers, according to Reuters. A day later, the same group claimed responsibility for targeting military forces in the historic city of Timbuktu, with residents reporting gunfire and explosions.

Wagner's exit raises questions about its effectiveness in curbing violence in the Sahel. While the group is leaving Mali, Russia’s involvement in the country’s security remains intact. Fighters from Africa Corps—a new Russian paramilitary group set to take over Wagner’s operations in Africa—will continue to operate in Mali.

By Sabina Mammadli