Wagner Group Announce Withdrawal from Mali After Mission Completion

Wagner's exit follows a surge in militant attacks, including a strategic military withdrawal amid increasing violence in the Sahel region.

The Wagner Group, a high-profile Russian mercenary organization, has declared its intention to withdraw from Mali, citing the completion of its main mission. Active in Mali since 2021, the group has been collaborating with the Malian military to combat persistent Islamist militant threats. In an announcement via their Telegram channel, the mercenary group claimed to have successfully engaged with and eliminated "thousands of militants and their commanders" who have been terrorizing local communities for years.

This news of withdrawal coincides with reports of Malian soldiers retreating from a key military base in the center of the country, following a deadly attack for the second time in a week. Mali has faced an ongoing Islamist insurgency for over a decade, and the military junta, which took control after a coup amid growing insecurity, increasingly turned to Russian forces for assistance after French troops exited the country in 2022.

The recent escalation of violent attacks by jihadist groups in the Sahel region has raised alarms about the effectiveness of Wagner's operations. A major assault attributed to an al-Qaeda-linked group on the town of Boulikessi resulted in the deaths of over 30 soldiers, while further assaults continued in Timbuktu and the southeastern Sikasso region.

Despite Wagner's departure, Russia's influence in Mali will not dissipate completely; forces from Africa Corps, a rival Russian mercenary group designed to take over Wagner's missions across the continent, will remain active. The broader implications of Russia's military and political engagement in West Africa continue to grow, leaving some questions about Wagner’s future activities, particularly in the Central African Republic where its main base is situated.