Mali crisis: Africa Corps mercenaries retreat as jihadists tighten grip

The Africa Corps, Russia’s military proxy force replacing Wagner in Mali since 2025, suffered a humiliating setback in Kidal on April 26. Social media footage shows their hasty withdrawal under pressure from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, and Tuareg rebels from the Azauad Liberation Front (FLA). Disarmed and abandoned in trucks, the mercenaries fled, leaving behind armored vehicles and helicopters for the jihadists. Several Malian soldiers were captured in brief clashes.

This retreat follows a weekend of coordinated attacks by GSIM jihadists—allied with the FLA—targeting strategic positions across Mali, including the capital Bamako, Kati (home to the junta’s main military base), and Gao (a former UN stronghold). At least six cities came under siege in this sweeping offensive.

Kidal’s fall: a symbolic defeat for Russia’s Sahel strategy

In November 2023, Wagner mercenaries—predecessors to Africa Corps—seized Kidal, a historic Tuareg stronghold, and flew their skull-and-crossbones flag. The city’s recapture marks a bitter reversal for Moscow’s allies in Bamako. “The only real strategic success Russia has achieved in Mali since 2021 was taking Kidal,” says Djenabou Cissé, a researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research. “Its loss is a damning indictment of their military partnership.”

Jihadist blitz exposes Africa Corps’ weaknesses

Since the 2021 coup, Mali’s junta has relied on Russian mercenaries to combat jihadist expansion. Yet violence has escalated, culminating in 2025’s designation of the Sahel as the world’s deadliest terrorism hotspot by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Reports from the UN and Human Rights Watch link Russian mercenaries and Malian forces to a surge in sexual violence against civilians. “Russia’s mercenaries have long proven ineffective in counterterrorism,” notes Wassim Nasr, a jihadism expert. “Saturday’s attacks only confirmed their failures.”

Bamako under siege: chaos and casualties

Videos from across Mali show the GSIM’s rapid advance. In Kidal, they stormed the governor’s office, while Bamako residents watched fighters enter the city unopposed. In Kati, a bomb demolished the home of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, who was killed in the assault. The junta’s grip is slipping: GSIM has encircled Bamako, aiming to strangle the capital economically.

Government scrambles to contain the crisis

On April 28, junta leader Assimi Goïta declared the situation “under control” and vowed to eliminate the attackers. Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga paid tribute to Camara but offered little reassurance to a shaken population. Meanwhile, Malian officers accuse the Russians of betrayal. “The Russians deserted Kidal,” one officer told RFI. “Their governor warned them three days before the attack—but they did nothing, already negotiating their retreat.” With Africa Corps reportedly pulling out of other northern towns, Mali’s army faces further collapse.

At a Kremlin briefing, spokesman Dmitri Peskov refused to address Africa Corps’ prospects but claimed their forces had foiled a coup attempt by the FLA and GSIM, per Reuters.