Wagner’s mercenaries in Mali. Photo: French Military
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and military bloggers announced that dozens of mercenaries were killed or wounded during clashes near the border with Algeria, writes Reuters.
Wagner’s group confirmed on Monday that its fighters and Malian soldiers had suffered heavy casualties in heavy fighting against Mali’s Tuareg rebels near the town of Tinzahuaten. The fighting lasted from July 22 to 27.
“On the first day, the Pond group took out most of the Islamists and expelled the rest,” Wagner said in a Telegram statement. However, the ensuing sandstorm allowed the radicals to regroup and increase their strength to 1,000. During the re-attack under heavy insurgent fire, there were casualties among both Wagner and the Malian army.
The last message from Wagner’s group on July 27 was: “There are three of us left. We continue to fight.” The group also stated that their commander Serhii Shevchenko, call sign “Stavok”, was killed.
Mali’s army reported the death of two soldiers and the wounding of ten. One of the helicopters crashed in Kidal during a routine mission, but no one was killed.
The Tuareg rebels announced their successes
Tuareg rebels in northern Mali said they had killed and wounded dozens of Wagner soldiers and mercenaries during two days of fighting. They also captured armored vehicles, trucks and tanks.
Reaction to sabotage
François Deletraz, president of the National Federation of Users’ Associations (Fnaut), praised the speed with which the railway lines were restored by SNCF workers after the sabotage. However, he noted that customer service was below expectations in communicating the terms of ticket refunds and exchanges.
Wagner’s mission in Mali
Wagner’s group has played a significant role in some of the fiercest fighting in Ukraine, but its future has become uncertain after the failed 2023 uprising and the death of founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. However, a group of mercenaries found their role in Africa.
Mali, where the military seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is struggling with an Islamist insurgency. The military regime claims that Russian forces in Mali are instructors helping local forces use equipment bought from Russia.
Development of the situation
The Tuareg, an ethnic group from the Sahara region, feel marginalized by the Malian government. The separatist group launched an insurgency against Mali’s government junta in 2012, but the rebellion was later taken over by Islamist groups. They signed a peace deal with Bamako in 2015, but pulled out of negotiations at the end of 2022, Reuters reported.
