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MALI – A commander in a Russian mercenary group has been killed in Mali following an attack by rebel fighters during a sandstorm, the group said.
The military regime in the West African state turned to the notorious Wagner group in 2021 for support in fighting jihadist and separatist forces.
On Monday, the group, now known as Africa Corps, reported it had joined Mali’s military in “fierce battles” against separatist rebels and jihadist militants last week, according to the Star.
Rebel forces launched a major attack, killing an estimated 20 to 50 mercenaries, sources close to Africa Corps told the BBC.
Several Russian military bloggers reported at least 20 were killed in the ambush near the north-eastern town of Tinzaouaten.
In an official statement on Telegram, the group did not specify the number of casualties but confirmed suffering “losses,” including commander Sergei Shevchenko.
Initially, the mercenaries “destroyed most of the Islamists and put the rest to flight,” the statement said. “However, [an] ensuing sandstorm allowed the radicals to regroup and increase their numbers to 1,000 people,” it added.
The Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD), a Tuareg-dominated separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The rebel group allegedly shared video footage showing numerous white men in military fatigues lying motionless on a sandy plain and another video of mostly black men wearing blindfolds with their hands tied behind their backs.
The BBC could not confirm the authenticity of the videos.
Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, also claimed sole responsibility for the attack, stating they killed 50 Russian mercenaries in a “complex ambush.”
More than a decade ago, Mali’s central government lost control of much of the north following a Tuareg rebellion demanding a separate state.
The conflict was further complicated by Islamist militant involvement.
The military, citing the government’s inability to tackle this unrest, seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021.
The new junta severed Mali’s long-running alliance with former colonial power France in favor of Russia to quell the unrest.
The Wagner mercenary group was effectively dismantled after a mutiny by its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, last year, leading to its replacement in West Africa by Africa Corps.
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