A Russian mercenary group commander has been killed in Mali after an ambush by rebel fighters during a sandstorm, the group said in a statement. The military regime in the West African country has turned to the notorious Wagner group in 2021 for support in fighting jihadist and separatist forces.
On Monday, the Russian group, now known as the Africa Corps, said it had joined the Malian military in “fierce fighting” against separatist rebels and jihadist militants last week. But the separatists launched a major attack that killed an estimated 20-50 mercenaries, a source close to the Africa Corps told the BBC.
Several Russian military bloggers also reported that at least 20 people were killed in a surprise attack near the northeastern town of Tinzaouaten. In an official statement posted on Telegram, the Russian mercenary group did not give an exact number of its troops killed, but confirmed that it had suffered “losses,” including a commander, Sergei Shevchenko, who was killed in action.
The mercenaries initially “annihilated most of the Islamists and sent the rest fleeing,” the statement said. “However, the sandstorm that ensued allowed the radicals to regroup and increase their numbers to 1,000,” it added.
The Tuareg-dominated CSP-PSD separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had taken prisoners and “a large amount of equipment and weapons destroyed or captured”.
The rebel group has shared video footage showing many white men in military uniform lying motionless in the desert. Another video shows a group of black men with blindfolds and their hands tied behind their backs. The BBC has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the videos.
Read also: Mali Asks for Russian Help to Fight Guerrillas
Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, also claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had killed 50 Russian mercenaries in a “complex attack.”
More than a decade ago, Mali’s central government lost control of much of the north after a Tuareg rebellion sparked by demands for a separate state. The country’s security has been further complicated by the involvement of Islamist militants in the conflict.
When it seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, the military cited the government’s inability to deal with the chaos. The new junta broke with Mali’s long alliance with colonial power France in favor of Russia to quell the unrest.
However, the Wagner group was effectively disbanded after a coup by its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, leading to its replacement in West Africa by the Africa Corps. (BBC/Z-3)
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