Wagner Group to Withdraw from Mali After Three-Year Military Campaign

The Russian paramilitary group Wagner has announced its intention to withdraw from Mali, according to a statement published on the group's official Telegram channel. The group claimed it had achieved its primary objectives in the country, which included combating terrorist organizations and reclaiming significant areas of territory previously under militant control.

The Russian paramilitary group Wagner has concluded a three-and-a-half-year military campaign in Mali, aimed at recapturing key areas in the central Kidal region and the country’s northern territories from jihadist and separatist forces. The operation targeted fighters from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, as well as ethnic Tuareg rebels from the Azawad movement.

According to sources familiar with the campaign, Wagner sustained an estimated 50 combat fatalities during engagements with both insurgent and terrorist elements. Despite the losses, the group reportedly achieved several of its strategic objectives, including the restoration of government control over major urban centers and the establishment of a network of local allies.

In a statement released through its official Telegram channel, Wagner claimed it had successfully built a "strong and disciplined army" in cooperation with the Malian armed forces and had returned all key regional capitals to the authority of the Malian state. The group also secured access to several gold mines particularly in the northern regions enabling it to expand its economic footprint and bolster Russia’s influence in the Sahel.