Wagner Group leaves Mali, replaced by Moscow-backed Africa Corps • FRANCE 24 English

Wagner Group leaves Mali, replaced by Moscow-backed Africa Corps • FRANCE 24 English

after more than three and a half years on the ground Russia’s Vagna mercenary group says it’s leaving Mali mission accomplished private military company Vagner returns home the group says it has brought the country’s regional centers back under the control of the Malian military government killing thousands of Islamist militants and their commanders but the withdrawal also comes in the wake of a series of deadly jihadist attacks on military bases that armed fighters say killed dozens of Malian soldiers as well as some mercenaries the assaults have raised concerns about the efficacy of Vagnner in the region and the paramilitary group’s brutal methods on the ground in Marley have been regularly denounced by human rights groups last month UN experts urged Maralian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by Vagna mercenaries and the army vagnner has been present in Mali since 2021 after a military coup led to the withdrawal of French troops and international peacekeepers that have been involved in fighting the Islamist insurgents the group’s withdrawal doesn’t mean the country will be without Russian fighters though mercenaries will remain under the banner of the Africa Corps a paramilitary group created after Vagnner founder Yughi Pojian led a mutiny against the Russian government in 2023 seen as Vagna’s successor the group operates under direct command of the Russian Defense Ministry diplomatic sources say Vagna units have already been taken over by the Africa Corps

The Russian-backed Wagner Group, which spent more than three years fighting Islamic extremists in Mali, will be replaced by the Moscow-run Africa Corps. In the last decade, Mali has relied on an estimated 2,000 mercenaries, according to US figures, in its battle against an insurgency by armed groups that include those linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
#Wagner #Mali #Russia

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