The Russian Africa Corps suffered losses in battles with the alliance of Azawad rebels and jihadist groups FLA-JNIM and left its key base in the city of Kidal.
France 24, Radio Liberty and several Russian propaganda media reported on this.
According to available data, during the clashes the Russian mercenaries lost equipment, including a BTR-82A armored personnel carrier, a Chinese-made VP11 armored vehicle used by the Russian side, as well as a captured Tornado-U armored vehicle. Russian sources also claimed losses among the mercenaries.
During the fighting, the Africa Corps used a wide range of weapons, including BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Spartak 590951 armored vehicles and Tigr-M vehicles with the Arbalet-DM combat module.
According to Radio Liberty, a fire was recorded on the runway as well as damage to several buildings at the Russian forces base in Kidal, which had previously been used by UN peacekeepers.
It is possible that the fire and destruction were caused by deliberate arson so that the base and the remaining weapons would not fall into rebel hands.
At the same time, shelling of the base should not be ruled out. In late March, the Russian base near the settlement of Anafif had already come under attack by FPV drones and artillery.
French media reported that on April 26, Tuareg rebels from the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) announced that they had reached an agreement on the withdrawal of Russian forces from the base. Local residents also reported the movement of a convoy of equipment leaving the facility.
Fighting in Mali
A few days ago, Tuareg rebels, together with jihadist groups, launched a coordinated offensive against the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the so-called Africa Corps.
Witnesses reported fighting in the area of the Katy military base, a large military facility near the capital Bamako, as well as directly inside the capital. Separate fighting was recorded in the cities of Gao and Kidal in the north of the country, as well as in Sévaré in central Mali.
The Malian military said it was fighting unidentified terrorist groups and that the situation was under control. However, reports from the scene indicated that clashes were continuing.
Videos circulating on social media indicate a coordinated attack by the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) together with rebels from the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), which seeks the creation of an independent Tuareg state of Azawad.
FLA spokesman Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan said on social media that his forces had taken control of several positions in Gao and Kidal. He also called on neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger not to interfere in the conflict.
Recently, it was reported that a Russian helicopter was lost near the city of Gao. The official cause of the incident has not been disclosed, but preliminary reports indicate it was caused by external fire, which may indicate it was hit by air defense.
The incident killed the crew and the mobile fire team on board. The rebel alliance also killed the defense minister of the military junta, Sadio Camara.
Mali is under the control of a military junta led by General Assimi Goïta, who came to power in a 2021 coup, promising to restore security and drive out armed groups.
After seizing power, the junta forced UN peacekeepers and a French contingent to leave the country and invited Russia’s Africa Corps to help fight the rebels. Since then, human rights groups have repeatedly accused Russian forces of crimes against civilians during joint operations with the Malian army.
As a result of the agreements, Russia also gained access to gold, uranium and lithium deposits in Mali, and signed a deal to build a refining plant with a capacity of up to 200 tons of gold per year.
