Mali’s Kidal setback: russian africa corps falters against jihadist and touareg offensives

A significant and symbolic defeat unfolded on Sunday, April 26th, in Kidal, northeastern Mali. Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps, who succeeded the Wagner Group in 2025 and are allied with the Bamako junta, unexpectedly withdrew. Humiliating images circulated on social media depicted Africa Corps personnel in trucks, disarmed, and under pressure from the jihadist coalition GSIM (Support Group for Islam and Muslims, also known as JNIM) and their Touareg rebel allies, the Front de libération de l’Azawad (FLA), as they hastily exited the area. The retreat was so swift that dozens of armored vehicles and helicopters were abandoned, falling into the hands of the jihadists and Touareg rebels. Additionally, several Malian soldiers were captured following brief skirmishes.

Since Saturday, the Sahelian nation has experienced a series of coordinated assaults launched by GSIM jihadists, affiliated with Al-Qaïda, in conjunction with the FLA Touareg independence rebellion. These attacks targeted strategic positions held by the junta across the country, including areas on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako.

a reversal of 2023 gains

On Monday, the Russia-controlled paramilitary group Africa Corps confirmed the withdrawal of its forces from Kidal, a key northern Malian city. This event marks a significant reversal for the FLA rebels, who had witnessed Wagner Group mercenaries seize the city and proudly raise their black flag with a white skull just eighteen months prior, in November 2023. For the junta’s Russian allies, this represents a bitter failure. According to Djenabou Cissé, an associate researcher at the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, “the only true strategic success the Russians had achieved since their arrival in Mali in 2021 was precisely the capture of Kidal, a historic Touareg stronghold.” Its fall is perceived as a profound repudiation of their efforts.

The coordinated GSIM attacks also extended to the capital, Bamako, the city of Kati – home to the country’s main military base – and Gao, a former UN base. In total, at least six cities across Mali were targeted.

Since 2021, Mali has been governed by a military junta that seized power in a coup that same year. Concurrently, the nation has been besieged for years by the Al-Qaïda-affiliated jihadist group, which contributed to making the region the global epicenter of terrorism and its victims by 2025, as per a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace think tank. Since the summer of 2025, jihadists have inflicted numerous defeats upon Malian armed forces and their Russian allies, notably establishing blockades around the capital in an attempt to economically choke it.

long-standing ineffectiveness

To counter the jihadist advance, Malian military leaders enlisted Russian mercenaries, first with Wagner from 2021, and then with Africa Corps since 2025. However, the violence has only intensified. Reports indicate that some of the most egregious attacks against civilians have been perpetrated by Russian mercenaries and elements of the Malian army. Since 2021, several reports from the United Nations and the International Federation for Human Rights have documented a surge in conflict-related sexual violence, carried out by Malian defense and security forces and their Russian auxiliaries.

According to journalist Wassim Nasr, an expert on jihadist movements, “it has long been apparent that Russian mercenaries were ineffective as counter-terrorism partners, whether within the Wagner Group or now under Africa Corps. Saturday’s attacks merely underscored these persistent challenges.”

Over the weekend, video footage from across Mali illustrated the widespread nature of the attacks. In Kidal, jihadists stormed the governor’s office. Meanwhile, in Bamako, residents observed GSIM fighters entering the city with minimal resistance. On the capital’s periphery, in Kati, the junta’s headquarters, a bomb attack destroyed the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, who was reportedly killed in the offensive.

allegations of “betrayal in Kidal”

On Monday, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga addressed the press, paying tribute to Defense Minister Sadio Camara while striving to reassure the populace. During a brief televised address, his first appearance since the jihadist offensive began on Saturday, President and junta leader Assimi Goïta declared on Tuesday evening that the situation was “under control” and affirmed that operations would continue until the “complete neutralization of the groups involved” in the attacks.

Despite limited freedom of expression, the effectiveness of the Malian Armed Forces (Famas) and Africa Corps soldiers is already being questioned within Mali. “The Russians betrayed us in Kidal,” a Malian officer reportedly stated. According to this officer, the regional governor had warned the Russian mercenaries three days before the assault, yet they took no action, suggesting they had already negotiated their departure. With the Russians having left Kidal, there are indications they may also be departing other northern localities, potentially further weakening the regular Malian army.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, during his daily briefing on Tuesday, April 28th, declined to comment on Africa Corps’ ability to control the situation. However, he asserted that Russian forces had thwarted an attempted coup in Mali by FLA and GSIM fighters.