After Wagner announcement of exit Mali… Russia’s African Corps announces its continued presence
The Russian Africa Corps announced its continued presence in Mali after the Russian Wagner Group announced the end of its mission in the country, following three and a half years of deployment alongside Malian forces to confront armed groups.
Reuters quoted the African Corps via its Telegram channel as saying that “Wagner’s departure won’t bring any changes, and that its units will remain in Mali”.
“Russia isn’t backing down… On the contrary, it is continuing its support for Bamako, now in a more substantial way,” the Africa Corps added.
According to Reuters, the African Legion, which was unveiled in early 2024, consists of approximately 70 to 80 percent of its members, including former Wagner mercenaries.
The Africa Corps, which is led by Russian Deputy Defense Minister General Yunus-Bek Evkurov, is deployed across five African countries: Libya, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic, and its headquarters is located in Libya.
The African Corps comprises between 40,000 and 45,000 personnel, and recruitment began in December 2023 in several African countries and Russia.
Earlier, Wagner posted a video on its main Telegram channel announcing the completion of its mission in Mali and its withdrawal after more than three years of presence in the country.
The Wagner group stated that it had “eliminated thousands of terrorists,” recaptured “major cities such as Gao, Timbuktu, Anefis, and Kidal,” and “the area of land under the control of the Malian government had doubled”.
