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Rival armed groups join forces against the Malian state: What next?

armed groups in the country. But Wagner’s withdrawal from Mali [did not mean the departure of Russian fighters](/news/2025/6/16/wagner-vs-africa-corps-the-future-of-russian-paramilitaries-in-mali). Russian mercenaries have remained under the banner of the Africa Corps, a separate Kremlin-backed

What role has Russia played in Mali’s security and the Sahel region?

armed attacks in recent years. The Africa Corps, a Russian Defence Ministry unit that replaced the private Wagner Group, was deployed in Mali after Goita asked French forces to withdraw in 2022. France had previously

Niger suspends nine French media bodies: Watchdog slams ‘abusive’ decision

2023, Niger asked leaders in Paris to withdraw thousands of troops involved in missions against armed groups operating in Niger, neighbouring Mali

Mali’s militant attacks expose limits of Putin’s power in Africa

Group thinktank. Mali’s eastern neighbours, [Burkina Faso](https://www.theguardian.com/world/burkina-faso) and Niger, expelled French and American forces following coups in 2022 and 2023 respectively. ![Armed

What’s happening in Mali one week after attack by armed groups? All we know

2023, they withdrew following a breakdown in relations with Mali’s military government and the country’s growing alliance with Russia. In December 2021, Goita had invited Russian mercenary group Wagner to support the military

Timeline: How Mali went from democracy beacon to instability

Mali to civilian rule by March 2024, but it has not kept this promise. Goita invited Russian mercenaries to support the military administration in its fight against armed groups in December 2021 after asking French

Mali rattled by ongoing armed attacks: What to know

armed groups in the country. But Wagner’s withdrawal from Mali did not mean the departure of Russian fighters. Russian mercenaries have remained under the banner of the Africa Corps, a separate Kremlin-backed paramilitary

Migrants in hiding as Mauritania pushbacks drastically cut Europe arrivals

Mali to Niger, where coups and attacks by various armed groups have prompted some to migrate and forced hundreds from their homes, have increased. In Mauritania, officials have blamed trafficking gangs and scaled up arrests

What is the Azawad Liberation Front, part of the Mali attacks?

armed groups ignited the Malian civil war. It was led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), made up of Tuareg fighters who had earlier taken refuge in Libya and fought

Militants and separatists launch coordinated attacks across Mali

armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks” in Bamako and that soldiers were “engaged in eliminating the attackers”. It said in a later statement the situation was under control. An Associated Press journalist

Russian mercenaries to withdraw from Mali city after attacks

armed groups across Mali](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyx7nnrkqdo), including the capital, Bamako, on Saturday. Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in the attacks near Bamako, according to his family and French media. For years

Russian paramilitary carried out air strikes in Mali as rebels advanced, footage shows

Mali in 2021 in the lead-up to the withdrawal of French troops amid a breakdown in relations between the ruling junta and the West. They were replaced by the Africa Corps, which is directly

Mali crisis: Who are the key leaders to know about?

armed Tuareg separatists of the Liberation Front for Azawad (FLA) group, fighting for an independent nation called Azawad, also in the north, are clashing with the military and allied Russian mercenaries who have been deployed

Mapping Mali’s gold and natural resource wealth

armed groups to declare a siege on the capital, Bamako. Amidst this struggle for security and control, Mali’s 24 million people are sitting atop a vast, untapped gold resource, estimated at about 800 tonnes

‘We saw terrible things’: Mali refugees tell of atrocities amid attacks

armed groups or rebels. Refugees in Mauritania said the Russians, sometimes with their Malian counterparts, executed, raped or tortured victims. Several said Wagner mercenaries arrested suspects in raids during which they lined people up, barked

Mali hit by wave of coordinated attacks from armed groups

arme groups including Islamist militants have launched one of the largest coordinated attacks seen in recent years, targeting multiple cities across the country. Heavy gunfire and explosions have been reported around government buildings and major

Can Macron’s Kenya visit revive French influence in Africa?

armed groups working together. The crisis spread across joint borders into Burkina Faso and Niger. Amid the rising insecurity, and upon a request from Mali, France deployed thousands of troops, including several fighter jets stationed

Mali in turmoil after insurgents seize towns and kill defence minister

armed drones in their assaults on Kati – a junta stronghold just outside the capital, Bamako – as well as the eastern city of Gao and central towns of Mopti and Sévaré. Heavy gunfire and explosions were