Neither Mali nor the Russian mercenary group Wagner have stated how many they have lost in the clashes. However, in a statement on 29 July, Wagner stated that the group had suffered heavy losses, without quantifying anything.
The Malian authorities have also said that they have suffered heavy losses, but they have not come up with any figures either.
The Tuareg-dominated CSP (Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development) alliance previously said it had killed dozens of soldiers in clashes around the northern border town of Tinzaouaten, while an al-Qaeda-linked group said it had killed 50 soldiers belonging to the Russian mercenary group Wagner in an ambush attack in the same area.
However, the clashes in the last days of July do not seem to have dampened Russian-Malian cooperation. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that he had spoken with his Malian counterpart and gave notice that Russia will continue its support. He did not mention anything about the recent matches.
The Wagner group entered Mali two years ago to help Mali’s military regime fight rebels who have been carrying out attacks in the Sahel region since 2012. The Russian mercenaries were brought into the heat after the coup plotters in Mali had kicked out French and UN forces who had assisted in the fight against Islamist rebels for a decade.
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2024-08-04 13:05:01
