"Russian Africa Corps defeated and in retreat" Topic

"After a weekend of co-ordinated attacks across Mali by separatist fighters and Islamist militants, Russian forces who are in the country helping protect the military government have confirmed they have pulled out of the northern city of Kidal.

In a series of social media posts, Russia's Africa Corps said they had "left the locality" along with Malian troops.

The separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) group said on Sunday the Russian troops had agreed to withdraw permanently, and claimed control of Kidal, declaring it "now free".

Mali has faced insurgencies for years from the separatists in the north, and groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

On Saturday, explosions and sustained gunfire were reported in multiple parts of Mali, including the capital, Bamako.

Attacks were also reported in the central cities of Sevare and Mopti, as well as Gao and Kidal in the north, on the southern fringe of the Sahara desert…"

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Armand

Souds like a war with no good guys, but maybe I am missing something.

Tom

No… you're not missing anything, my friend… it's bad versus very bad…

Armand

May Death become them.

Well, why not… There are good guys there. And as always, on the side of the jihadists)))

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They have been fighting in Mali since 2024.

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Well they will have a hard time doing better than Rommel. LOL !!!!

Are you comparing Russians to Germans? Am I correct in thinking you're comparing ISIS to the British and Americans?)))

Wow !!! What a stretch ! On all those comparisons …

It's a stretch… Mali is constantly ruled by various military juntas and usurpers… As is the case in most African countries. And there is always some kind of war going on there – separatists, jihadists and who knows who else))) The Russians there simply replaced the expelled French. Someone has to protect Mali's gold from ISIS.

Protect it…? Or steal it before they do?…

Armand

From what I've heard contracts for resources were the way it worked for the Russians, and the governments were fine with the open motives vs "we love you and are here to save you" motives. I suspect there's a logostics problem keeping those Russian troops supplied and replaced.

They won't pull out of Mali entirely, because if they go home, they'll probably end up in Ukraine eventually…

Tango01, steal? Do you have evidence to support the charges? Of course not. The Afrika Korps has a contract with the government…

Striker, I haven't heard about any logistics issues. Russian bases in Syria remain operational. But of course, while the war in Ukraine is ongoing, troops in Africa will not be supplied on a priority basis.

Zephyr1, they've all been to Ukraine before, and before that, to Syria. This is the reformed Wagner PMC. After Prigozhin's mutiny, most of his soldiers signed contracts to serve in Africa.

Cuprum2 +1 defending against Islamist militants is not a terrible endeavor.

The Russians are preferable to Western forces who insist on pushing western values, human rights etc down the throats of the Africans,

Tally Ho!

Russia's view on the operation in Mali:

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nickinsomerset, human rights – is that what you call bombing girls' schools and holding gay pride parades? Why don't you impose them on, say, Saudi Arabia? Or even in Turkey? I think your Muslim allies would be delighted with such initiatives.

"Troops signed contracts to serve in Africa"

What happened Siberia totally booked up?

"nickinsomerset, human rights….." So funny coming from a russian,

Tally Ho!

Tango, Striker, Zepher, nick, +1 each.

defending against Islamist militants is not a terrible endeavor.

No disagreement there. islamists have become a threat to the entire world. Including other moslems …

As clear as that is … there are many who do not support the US/IDF in removing the #1 terrorist supporter in the region. Who are terrorists themselves … Iran's regime needs to go. Which mean most of those remaining islamists will have to die.

Investigation: Russian shadow airlines use Algeria as base for secretive missions

"A fleet of Russian military-affiliated cargo aircraft has made over a hundred flights to Algeria over the past year, likely delivering modern fighter jets and equipment to bolster an increasingly important Russian ally at Europe's southern flank, and using the country as a hub to project Russia's power deeper into Africa.

A Defense News investigation found at least 167 cargo flights linking Russia to Algeria between March 2025 and April 2026, making the North African country one of the key hubs in Moscow's global freight network.

Many of the flights connected airfields associated with United Aircraft Corporation, Russia's state-owned maker of military jets, to Algerian air bases. Several of the cargo flights also roughly coincided with the sighting of new Russian-made warplanes roaring over the Algerian countryside.

The uptick in air traffic comes amid ongoing deliveries of several types of Russian-made warplanes to Algeria. The country is currently receiving Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets and Su-35 fighters from Russia. It also operates a fleet of about 60 Su-30 multirole fighters and around 40 MiG-29 air-superiority fighters…"

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Armand

For a website that is supposed to be politics free, we sure get there quickly…

Hmmm ? What did von Clausewitz about war and politics ? What was that ? 🤔🤨

Mali is FALLING to Jihadists: What Happened?

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Russian failed there…

Armand

Arms deliveries and Africa Corps training: How Russia is bolstering its presence in Madagascar

"Two tracked BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and various pieces of protective gear were among the items showcased during a "Russian military-technical aid handover" ceremony held at the Ivato military camp in Madagascar on April 1.

The images were released by the Russian Embassy in Madagascar, which noted that "small arms" were also included in the delivery. According to the embassy, the equipment is intended to "strengthen [Madagascar's] defence capabilities and develop the potential of the national armed forces".

The delivery was attended by the transitional president, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, who seized power in October 2025 following weeks of youth-led Gen Z protests and a military takeover that ousted the former president.

The move is one of the latest signs of deepening ties between Russia and the African island nation. Last November, Randrianirina indicated he was open to all international partnerships, provided the arrangement is "win-win"…"

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Armand

Yes, Tango01. A couple thousand infantrymen for a country the size of Eastern Europe is too few. Miracles don't happen…

Same history for the French Foreign Legion or another one who tried… the question is… what the hell are you doing there… not an ex-colony as the French or English…

Armand

The Malian junta had rejected French aid and needed someone to train their army and protect the government and gold mines. They initially considered hiring a US private military company, but Wagner's services were cheaper and well-known in Africa after successfully fighting Somali pirates.
After Prigozhin's death, Wagner came under the control of entities affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense and was renamed the "Africa Corps."
There wasn't much politics there – it was more about business.

Well…based on the results…the curriculum vitae doesn't look good for future hires…

Armand

What's wrong with the results? This war has been going on since 2012. And this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Only then, instead of the Russians, it was the French and the Turks…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_War

Why Russia Is Losing the Sahel

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Armand

"Africa Corps", what a pogrom, uupps…what a program, if there are not jews across Sahel unfortunately there are still enough civilians to suffer from the intervention groups of the Russian war criminal mercenaries and malian army…
Algeria, Mali…between socialism and islamism under dictatorships with Russian advisors, actually nothing really new under the african sun since the years 1960'

Mali: Authorities try to reassure, Russians accused of "treason in Kidal"

the surprising passivity of the Russians in the face of rebel attacks

A simultaneous attack in several cities, including Bamako, by Tuareg rebels allied with jihadist groups threatens the Malian military regime. The junta's Russian allies, who replaced the French, evacuated the northern city of Kidal without firing a single shot.

The video footage is striking: a column of vehicles carrying Russian soldiers left the city of Kidal in northern Mali yesterday morning, a defeat achieved without a single shot being fired. The city's new masters are Tuareg rebels allied with jihadists.

This Russian withdrawal is all the more significant given that, the day before, the jihadists of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GNI) claimed responsibility for simultaneous attacks in several parts of the country, including Bamako, the capital. And in their statement, they asked the Russians not to interfere, in order to preserve any future cooperation.

Indeed, the 2,500 Russian troops present in Mali, members of the Afrika Korps (formerly the Wagner Group), remained passive while the Bamako regime faced its worst security crisis since seizing power five years earlier. This was a setback for the Malian coup leaders who had ousted the former colonial power, France, in 2022, and a real failure for Russia, initially welcomed as a savior(…)

The Russians didn't come to fight in place of the Malian army—they came to protect and train. That's exactly what they're doing. There are only 2,000 of them. They're physically incapable of having any significant impact on the fighting. Your comments are laughable. Especially considering that 5,000 French soldiers couldn't win this war.

Russian forces, primarily composed of the Wagner Group and its successor, the Africa Corps, have suffered significant, though often undisclosed, casualties in Mali. Recent reports (April 2026) indicate dozens of deaths, including a major defeat in 2024 and ongoing losses during attacks by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg rebels, resulting in strained relations with the Malian military.

Russian forces suffered losses with estimates varying from 20 to over 80 mercenaries killed or captured in a battle against militants in the northeast.

Russian social media channels reported the loss of at least one military helicopter and its crew during the intensified fighting in early 2026.

While Russian sources confirmed the death of high-profile individuals like Grey Zone administrator Nikita Fedyanin and Wagner commander Sergei Shevchenko, exact official numbers are rarely released.

The high casualty rates and inability to maintain control of territory, such as Kidal, have strained the alliance between the Malian army and the Russian mercenaries.

Good job!…I can imagine potential future clients elbowing each other to be the first to hire the Afrika Korps…

And as you decide to make fun of the French… you have to know that Over nine years of military involvement in Mali (2013–2022) through Operations Serval and Barkhane, 59 French soldiers were killed… from those 13 soldiers were killed in a helicopter collision during a combat operation.

Armand

I know all this. And no one's hiding it.

But the French weren't the only ones suffering losses in Mali:
"According to official UN data, 298 UN peacekeepers (including one US citizen) were killed during Operation MINUSMA in Mali from the start of the operation on April 25, 2013, to December 31, 2022.

However, it should be taken into account that during this time, US military personnel and government civilian employees who were not part of the UN peacekeeping force (under the jurisdiction of US AFRICOM) were present in Mali. Furthermore, the US Embassy operated in the capital of Mali (Bamako) (protected by a unit of the US Marines, the Embassy Security Guard).

Actual US losses in Mali (including those not part of the UN peacekeeping contingent in Mali) from April 20, 2012, amount to at least four killed and at least five wounded and injured.

In the above-mentioned The casualties do not include those of US contractors (employees of foreign private military and security companies, mine clearance companies, aircraft crews, vehicle drivers, translators, and other civilian personnel operating in Mali with the permission of and in the interests of the US):

According to official data from the US Department of Labor, 24 US contractors were injured in Mali through March 31, 2021 alone (but the names, nationalities, and other details of the injured are not reported).

So, your "dancing on the bones," Tango, is a bad idea. Many people from Western security agencies were injured there. And you think they were more effective?

What it is laughable is to explain the Russian mercenaries were only there to protect and train with such a catalogue of war crimes against the civilians…

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso… The catastrophic record of the "totally useless" Russian paramilitaries in the Sahel

Russia's reputation in Africa has taken a hit, particularly with the image of Afrika Korps mercenaries—the successor to the Wagner Group—being escorted by rebels out of the city of Kidal. This is a slap in the face for this ally of the junta in Mali and the various military governments in the surrounding countries, notably Burkina Faso and Niger.

While they had pledged to ensure the Malian junta's continued rule, the latter is currently being routed by jihadist fighters from JNIM (Al-Qaeda in the Sahel) allied with the Tuaregs of the Azawad Liberation Front (ALF). The cost of the Russian-Malian partnership, with the deployment of 2,500 troops, is estimated at between US$500 and US$900 million (514.72 billion CFA francs) since 2022, according to data from All Eyes On Wagner. This is a poor return on investment for a junta that, if it is still in power, is on the ropes.

"Russia's reputation could take another hit."
For the moment, Russia is striving to show that it is determined to support President Assimi Goita's regime, but "if the rebels continue to advance, Russia's reputation could take another hit," warns Paul Melly, a journalist and researcher specializing in West Africa, the Sahel, and Madagascar. While the rebel offensives were predictable, they were not adequately anticipated by these paramilitaries. The Africa Corps had already "reduced its combat commitments," explains Peter Tinti, a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the University of Chicago. "And when it did go into the field, its results were mixed," he adds.

Moreover, according to numerous documents and investigations into the Russian presence in Mali, the Russians have been guilty of "widespread human rights violations and attacks against civilians, including mass atrocities, which have significantly contributed to the escalation of the conflict's brutality," reports Héni Nsaibia, senior analyst for West Africa at Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).

"The Russians have proven utterly useless," summarizes Will Brown, a researcher with the African program at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). "They are sellers of cheap weapons, bot farms, and mercenaries who rape, loot, and kill." All this, he adds, with weapons "often completely unsuited to the terrain." To the point of having the opposite effect, swelling the ranks of the jihadists even further after each atrocity.

"Russia's reputation in Africa has taken a hit…"

Another one?… Aren't the "hits" enough in Ukraine?…

"…"widespread human rights violations and attacks against civilians, including mass atrocities, which have significantly contributed to the escalation of the conflict's brutality," …"

No surprises here either… they have done and are doing the same thing in Ukraine, and have been doing it since their beginnings as an "Empire"…

"…"The Russians have proven utterly useless…"

Just like when they own territory was invaded and they had to call in more than 10,000 North Koreans to reclaim it…

Bien dit, ma chère amie Lilian… rien n'est plus méprisable dans l'attitude et le comportement que les Russes…

Armand

Tango +1

Lilian +1

Lilian, which of these propagandists was able to provide evidence for their claims? None?
This hasn't surprised me for a long time.

is Russia about to get KICKED OUT from Mali?

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