The Russian Federation is forming a position loyal to the Kremlin. Recently, the aggressor state has been increasing its presence on the African continent.
The Republic of Mali remained almost the only area on the continent controlled by the Wagnerites. And after the death of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, most of these mercenaries fell under the full control of the Ministry of Defense and transferred to the “Africa Corps”. This formation was also involved in the invasion of Ukraine. However, the attacks in Africa will continue, and over time, the Russian Federation will have to make a choice.
The publication Wiadomosci.onet.pl writes about this.
“The Russians must act in the face of tough competition from France, the United States and China, but ignore the growing casualties in clashes with the local population, which hates Russians and wants to oust Putin's soldiers,” the journalists note.
In northern Mali, violent clashes continue between the National Front for the Liberation of Azawad and Malian armed forces backed by the Russia-linked African Corps.
The publication recalls that on July 26, 2024, columns of Russian mercenaries, along with Malian government troops, were ambushed on the Malian-Algerian border. This territory, according to the Tuaregs, is part of the independent state of Azawad. And Russian mercenaries are enemies helping the regime.
And already on June 3, in an official statement, the Azawad Liberation Front reported that its members had destroyed 21 units of military equipment of the African Corps.
Before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia used Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries to prop up authoritarian regimes in Africa and seize control of fossil fuels.
Then some of the military were transferred to Ukraine, but the influence of the “Wagnerites” in Africa still remained and even expanded. In particular, in Burkina Faso and Mali, where actions in support of the military-industrial complex took place.
In addition to the constant political upheavals experienced by the Sahel countries, they are united by another factor: their wealth of natural resources and their important place in the global supply chains of raw materials. Not a single African state is yet ready to impose sanctions on Russia or to break off cooperation with it.
The Wagner Group entered Mali under the pretext of supporting the junta government in its fight against terrorism and separatism. Following a series of military coups that brought the junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita to power, the country withdrew from the International Organization of Francophonie, broke off military cooperation with France and refused to accept international peacekeeping forces, “demonstrating a rejection of France’s colonial legacy,” the journalists note.
Let us recall that in early June 2025, mercenaries from the Russian PMC Wagner announced that they were “completing their main mission” in the African country of Mali and returning to the Russian Federation.
Mali has been politically unstable since 2012. The current government came to power through a coup in 2020, organized by special battalion commander Assimi Goita, who eliminated President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The junta is supported by Russia, in particular through armed structures associated with the Wagner PMC.
After the mutiny, some of the Wagner PMC mercenaries did not sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, but went to Africa, where the group took part in military operations.
