Mali Armed Forces

Main article: Mali

2025

PMC Wagner is completing work in Mali. African Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation begins service

In June 2025, almost four years later, the symbol of the Russian military presence in West Africa - PMC Wagner - ends its mission in Mali.

The PMC is replaced by the African Corps of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - a more formalized, integrated structure. The official status should eliminate the costs of a "shadow" approach: simplify supply, ensure direct coordination with the Mali army and begin building systemic, not situational, influence.

Supplies of military equipment from Russia, China and Turkey

The coup in Mali and the subsequent withdrawal of French troops led to a political reorientation of the country, which naturally affected military-technical cooperation and arms imports.

If earlier Mali's main partner was the Fifth Republic, then since 2020 it has taken its place, Russia which in a short time was able to close most of the key needs of the armed forces states in types of military equipment.

Even under the operations of the Wagner PMC, L-39 combat training aircraft, Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters were delivered to the country. Later, in parallel with the deployment of the forces of the African Corps, tanks T-72B3, BTR-82A and a scattering of armored cars "lit up" there.

In parallel, ties were established in Bamako with other players: the Chinese send Norinco VN2C armored personnel carriers, various trucks and SUVs to Mali. And the Turks handed over the shock UAV Bayraktar and Akinci, with which, however, problems arise.

In many ways, with the withdrawal of the French, Mali managed to avoid a vacuum in military supplies, helped the authorities in Bamako not only to stay in power, but also to form a regional alliance with Niger and Burkina Faso, starting joint operations.

2024

The local army is not ready to defend the country without outside support

In 2024, Mali's armed forces run away at every opportunity. And this does not happen only in conditions when there are Russian specialists at the military post, or if the UAV delivered the first blow to the attackers.

The offensive actions of government forces at this time are also never without the support of PMC Wagner. It was also in the case of the capture of the stronghold of militants in the north - the city of Kidal, which the Malians have not controlled since 2012.

This is due to the fact that all the work to preserve statehood has always lay on the shoulders of not the national army, but the external actors, which until 2022 were the French. Local pro-government militias in this regard have more motivation to defend their lands.

On top of that, there is also a drop in the prestige of military service in the country. Young people are trying to become police officers, because due to corruption, they can provide relatively comfortable accommodation for their family. At this time, the penny salary of military personnel, disgusting rations and, of course, frequent losses do not increase the flow of recruits.

The extremely limited training of the local army does not give its fruits, due to the lack of staff officers.

Small groups of trained military personnel often "evaporate." The infantry regiment can mix trained gunners and driver mechanics, and then send them to the front post. There is no need to talk about interaction in such compounds.

In the event of a Russian military withdrawal or reduction, there is always the possibility that the country's armed forces will surrender almost all of the territory to local radicals or separatists. After all, they never independently coped with internal threats.

Mali Army and PMC Wagner ambushed in skirmish with Tuareg and Azawad movement

For details on the incident, see PMC Wagner

Establishment of the "Army Rapid Response Force" (FIRA)

In April 2024, Mali's transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goita, signed a decree establishing the Army Rapid Reaction Force (FIRA) as part of the country's armed and security forces.

According to the decree, FIRAs are responsible for planning, coordinating and conducting operations aimed at achieving operational results and combating terrorist or criminal organizations.

The Rapid Response Force is also responsible for

• participation in hostage rescue operations;
• for the protection of high-ranking military and civilian figures, as well as important facilities;
• for providing support to Special Forces as required.

FIRAs can act throughout the country against any security threat.

2023

China supplied Mali with about 100 armored vehicles

In early April 2023, China supplied Mali with about 100 armored vehicles, including VP-11 MRAP and Lynx CS/VP11. According to the armed forces, this technique should significantly strengthen the capabilities of the army to counter terrorist groups.

A new package of military assistance from Russia

On January 19, 2023, in the presidential pavilion of Bamako International Airport in Mali, in the presence of Russian Ambassador Igor Gromyko, an official ceremony was held to transfer a new batch of Russian weapons to the Malian military. According to local sources, the Mali Air Force received:

• One Su-25 attack aircraft;
• Six combat training aircraft L-39;
• Two Mi-8 helicopters.

The commander of the Mali Air Force, General Alu Boi Diarra, rightly called the received Russian equipment "an unprecedented modernization of the Malian forces." Obviously, the last batch of military assistance has become the most voluminous since the beginning of Mali's cooperation with Russia.

Thus, since October 2021, the Malian military has received four Mi-17 helicopters, four Mi-35 helicopters, 2 Mi-8 helicopters, ten L-39 combat training aircraft and five Su-25 units. Against the background of France, which refuses to supply its satellites with the necessary equipment, Russia looks like a more serious and reliable military ally for African countries, the Rybar channel noted.

2022

The departure of British troops from Mali

In November 2022, the British government decided to end its military presence in Mali. This was expected after the withdrawal of French troops from the country and the official completion of Operation Barkhan.

In Mali, the British were based at a base in Gao in the northeast of the country. After the French left, they were cut off from supply, and the neighborhood with the fighters of the Russian PMC Wagner who came in their place beat the reputation of the United Kingdom. In this situation, the further content of the contingent was devoid of any meaning.

Britain entered Malian territory in the same pattern as PMC Wagner: in 2013, the country sent 20 instructors to the Sahel to train the local army. Later, the British gradually increased the number of troops, bringing them to 300 troops. All of them operated within the framework of the UN mission MINUSMA.

Against the background of the French, the British cannot boast of any success in Mali at all. So, in news reports, the contingent from Foggy Albion was marked only by a shootout with Estonian servicemen in the same Gao.

However, what is happening should not be considered the surrender of Great Britain in the Sahel, the Rybar telegram channel noted. In London, they act according to the plan agreed with Paris: within its framework, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to develop a new African strategy in six months. The region will remain in the form of 3,000 French troops in Niger and Burkina Faso.

Wagner PMC hits back at Gao base

A major clash between Wagner PMCs took place on the 20th of August 2022, when terrorists attacked a base in Gao with a group of 150 militants. The attack was repulsed by a special forces detachment of 20 people with the support of the "Wagnerites." The militants lost 70 people killed.

The presence of the Wagner PMCs not only expanded the capacity for counter-terrorism measures, but also allowed government forces to once again take the lead in regaining control of the national territory.

France withdrew troops from Mali without defeating IS and al-Qaeda

In August 2022, the French Ministry of Defense announced the complete withdrawal of all units of the armed forces from Mali. They have been in the African country since 2012 as part of Operations Serval and Barhan to combat radical Islamic groups.

On August 15, 2022, the French completed the withdrawal of the contingent, transferring the last military base in Gao to the hands of the Malians, where the fighters of the Wagner PMC were seen on August 17.

For almost 10 years of the French military presence, it was not possible to defeat terrorist organizations in the country. Local branches of al-Qaeda and Islamic State (banned in Russia) have only increased influence and combat capabilities, and attacks on garrisons and settlements have become almost regular.

All this led to a wave of anti-French protests in 2020-2021 and subsequent military coups. Later, Bamako turned to Russian military advisers and the Wagner PMC, who successfully showed themselves in the fight against anti-government groups in the Central African Republic, for help.

However, even the final withdrawal of troops from Mali does not mean a complete loss of influence by France in the country: the Paris authorities and business to this day tightly control the economy of the African state and are in no hurry to leave it.

Radical Islamists kill more than 40 Malian troops

On August 7, 2022, in eastern Mali, in the area of ​ ​ three borders near the city of Tessit, one of the bloodiest battles took place with the participation of the Malian army and Islamic State militants in the Greater Sahara.

As a result of the clash, 42 Malian troops were killed and 22 wounded. The militants lost 37 people. Islamists used UAVs, explosive vehicles and grenade launchers, the government said.

Tessit is on the border with Burkina Faso and Niger - in the zone of increased activity of IS militants and gangs associated with al-Qaeda. The groups are fighting each other over gold deposits in the most remote regions of the three countries.

The city's connection with the outside world is hampered by the lack of stable mobile communication in the city and poor road traffic during the rainy season. Clashes there occur regularly, so civilians flee to the larger city of Gao, 150 km north.

The activation of groups demanded more involvement of Russia in the fight against terrorism. On August 9, Russia handed over L-39 and Su-25 combat aircraft, Mi-24P and Mi-8 helicopters and CASA C-295 transporters to Mali.

On August 10, a telephone conversation between Russian President Putin and the head of Mali's transition period, Assimi Goit, also took place, in which the latter spoke about the fight against terrorist groups.

According to him, over 60 militants were destroyed in June, and the current escalation is a retaliatory attempt to defend the zone of influence. And aviation supplies can strengthen the position of the Malian army in hard-to-reach regions.

2020: Jihadists kill 15 Malian soldiers

The attack on Camp Sokolo in central Mali at the end of January 2020 killed at least 15 Malian gendarmes.

Terrorists arrived on motorcycles armed to the teeth. After the attack, they took almost all of the camp's weapons with them. Some soldiers managed to leave the attack zone, sources said.

Camp Sokolo is located in the circle of Nyono, in the Segu region, where jihadist groups associated with al-Qaeda operate.

2019

France eliminates 33 militants in Mali

French President Emmanuel Macron December 21, 2019, announced that 33 "terrorists" were "neutralized" in the morning in Mali by the French military, who were involved in Operation Barkhane. Macron made this statement in the capital of Kot-d 'Ivoire, Abidjan.

Macron said that the French military during the operation released two Malian gendarmes, whom the jihadists held hostage. And they also captured one militant, the president added, without clarifying the details.

The General Staff of the French Armed Forces confirmed that 33 militants of "armed terrorist groups" were killed by Operation Barkhan. The military noted that the operation was spontaneous and took place on Saturday night in a forest near the border with Mauritania. It is noted that the Islamist group Makina Liberation Front, associated with al-Qaeda, operates in this zone.

The General Staff reported that several dozen units, Tigre attack helicopters and a Reaper drone were involved in the operation. And the operation itself on Saturday morning was still ongoing.

950 French soldiers are stationed in Mali. They regularly deliver equipment and goods to Operation Barhan bases in Niger and Mali. As part of Operation Barkhan, four and a half thousand French troops are involved.

24 soldiers killed in attack by IS militants

Mali's army suffers casualties in new clash with militants

Twenty-four soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in an attack in mid-November 2019 on an army patrol in northern Mali. The military managed to contain the militants, 17 of whom were eliminated.

The Malian patrol that was attacked participated in a joint operation with Niger against Islamists operating near the border. The attackers are not identified, it is not known which group they belong to.

Days later, IS claimed responsibility for killing 30 soldiers in Mali.

The West African branch of the terrorist group recognized the attack on an army patrol in Tabankort, which killed 30 servicemen and wounded dozens, writes SITE Intelligence Group.

49 servicemen killed by jihadists

49 troops and one civilian were killed in early November 2019, three soldiers were wounded in a jihadist attack in the Indelimana area, Menaka region of Mali (border with Niger).

Apparently, this is a response to the recent successful operation of the Malian army to free its soldiers, as a result of which about 50 militants were eliminated.

The military eliminated 50 militants, 36 military rescued

In October 2019, the Malian army confirmed that as a result of the operation to rescue soldiers taken hostage after the terrorist attack on two military bases, 50 militants were eliminated. Another 20 were injured, all their equipment was destroyed. 36 Malian soldiers were rescued.

Al Qaeda militants kill 38 Malian soldiers

In early October 2019, Malian authorities said at least 25 soldiers were killed and about 60 were missing in jihadist attacks on two military posts near the border with Burkina Faso.

In response, Mali, together with Burkina Faso, with the support of French troops stationed in the region, launched an anti-terrorist operation.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the escalation of violence in the Sahel, where civilian casualties quadrupled between 2012 and 2018.

Later in October 2019, al-Qaeda's West Africa affiliate claimed responsibility for attacks on two army bases in central Mali - Boulkessy and Mondoro - that killed 38 soldiers and left dozens missing.

Militants of the Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam al-Muslim said they kidnapped two soldiers, including a colonel from the Boulkessy base. Jihadists also captured 76 machine guns, two mortars and cartridges.

Russian helicopter damaged during terrorist attack on airport

In July 2019, a helicopter of a Russian airline was damaged during an attack by terrorists in Mali, an informed source told Interfax.

"The terrorists attacked the Gao airport, where the Mi-8 of Utair, chartered under a contract with the UN, was located on the site. The helicopter was damaged, they will be eliminated by the airline, "the source said. The crew managed to hide in a safe place and was not injured.

2018: Military spending - $495 million

As of 2018

2017: Failure of France's Operation Barkhane against Tuareg and radical Islamists

The negative population of Mali towards the French has been actively formed since 2014, when Operation Serval ended against the Tuareg of Azawad. In alliance with radical Islamists, they tried to create their own state in northern Mali so that no one would prevent them from collecting taxes, trafficking in smuggling and building a business on transporting migrants to Europe.

The joint efforts of the French and the Malian army managed to prevent the collapse of the country, but it turned out to be more difficult to finish off the alliance of Tuareg and radical Islamists, so the presence of French troops was preserved in the format of Operation Barkhan.

Over time, the impression was formed that the French struggle with terrorists is imitative in nature and is needed only to maintain the image of France as an influential player in Africa.

Publicly, the reasons for the failure of Barkhan were announced back in 2017 by the commander of the French troops, Pierre de Villiers.

According to him, at the disposal of the so few contingent was outdated equipment, which often failed. Helicopters were poorly adapted to sandstorms and easily made their way from small arms. In fact, this made it impossible to raid deep into the territory of the militants, because at the first contact, French helicopters deployed to the base.

The lack of funds became a formal reason for reducing the contingent. The real reason is the depletion of uranium deposits, for the protection of which the troops were initially attracted.

As an alternative, it was also considered to attract Germany to participate in Barkhan and transfer responsibility to UN peacekeepers. Neither option worked because of the reluctance of other countries to spend money on a dubious adventure.