‘Humiliation’ for Putin as Russian mercenaries sent by the Kremlin to support military junta are forced to flee following attacks by jihadists

Mali’s Kremlin-backed military junta is facing a deepening crisis after a wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist and separatist groups dealt a humiliating blow to Russian forces operating in the country.

The violence, which unfolded over the weekend, included simultaneous assaults by Tuareg separatists in the north and jihadists linked to al-Qaeda in central regions and around the capital, Bamako. 

The attacks killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and forced Russian mercenaries to withdraw from the northern desert town of Kidal.

This escalation marks one of the most serious challenges to Mali’s stability in more than a decade. 

Analysts say it is the most significant test since a jihadist offensive in March 2012 that required French military intervention to repel.

Mali has struggled with persistent violence for years, but the current crisis has highlighted the junta’s weakening grip over large parts of the country. 

After expelling French forces and UN peacekeepers, the government turned to Moscow for support, relying on fighters from the Wagner Group and later the Africa Corps. 

However, up to 2,000 Russian troops deployed in Mali have failed to contain the insurgency.

Images show a group of armed men on motorbikes standing on a street in Kati and vehicles moving through the group near the capital city Bamako, Mali

Ulf Laessing of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation told The Telegraph: ‘It’s a complete humiliation for Russia. They made so much noise, promising they will restore security since they deployed mercenaries in late 2021.’

He pointed to previous setbacks, including the deaths of dozens of Russian fighters in a Tuareg ambush near the Algerian border in 2024 and their failure to keep Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in power.

‘Now they don’t look very good in Mali, especially the withdrawal from Kidal, [which] really looks humiliating. I think they won’t find it easy to attract more clients for the Africa Corps,’ Laessing said.

Kidal had been recaptured in late 2023 by Malian forces supported by Wagner mercenaries, ending more than a decade of rebel control.

It was considered one of their most notable joint successes. However, experts say the Russian contingent has been overstretched, attempting to replace the far larger French and UN presence.

Paul Melly of the Chatham House said the reduced scale of Russian deployment left it unable to stabilise the large territory effectively.

A statement from the Africa Corps confirmed that its units, alongside Malian soldiers, had withdrawn from Kidal. 

The Azawad Liberation Front later said it had reached an agreement with Russian forces for their departure and claimed full control of the town.

The offensive was launched at dawn on Saturday by the Azawad Liberation Front and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, also known as JNIM. 

The jihadist network has become the most prominent militant force in the region and seeks to impose Islamic rule across Mali and neighbouring countries.

Jihadist violence has killed thousands across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in recent years. 

Mali has suffered a deep crisis since at least 2011, when Tuareg separatists and radical Islamist factions invaded Timbuktu, Gao and various other towns. 

In late 2024, attacks by the groups killed 100 people. Prior to the killings in late July, a Wagner column was ambushed and massacred near the Algerian border.

Mali’s northern Tuareg rebels claimed they killed at least 84 mercenaries, as well nearly 50 Malian soldiers after cornering them amid a sandstorm.

Jihadist violence has killed thousands across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in recent years

Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition ride on the back of a pickup truck in Kidal, on April 26, 2026

Russia’s Wagner group are continuously being hit by heavy losses, failing to stop jihadi attacks.

Malian defence minister Sadio Camara was killed on Saturday in a car bomb attack at his home in Kati, along with his second wife and two grandchildren.

Meanwhile, General Assimi Goïta, who seized power in 2020, has not appeared in public or issued a statement since the attacks. Officials say he remains in a secure location.

Despite the severity of the crisis, Laessing said the junta is unlikely to collapse in the immediate term, citing strong public opposition to jihadist rule. 

He said: ‘I don’t think the regime is on the brink of collapse, because no one wants these jihadists.

‘You could see with the fuel blockade that people were actually rallying behind the government because they don’t want a Taliban takeover like in Afghanistan. I don’t think that Bamako will fall.’

However, having cooperated loosely for years, the militants affiliated with al Qaeda known as JNIM and Tuareg rebels who want to carve out an independent desert state in ‌northern Mali are now openly talking about their alliance for the first time.

‘It demonstrates reach,’ said Justyna Gudzowska, executive director of The Sentry, an investigative and policy group. 

‘(It) tells every Malian, every regional capital, and every foreign partner that JNIM can operate at will inside the supposedly secure heart of the state.’

For now, the Islamists appear focused on consolidating their gains, recruiting fighters and gaining political traction in Mali – as Islamist rebels did in Syria – rather than carrying out attacks abroad or hitting foreign interests in the region.

It is far from clear how ⁠long the groups will be able to work together, nor how they might govern areas they want to control. 

But with Burkina Faso and Niger also fighting interlinked insurgences inspired by al Qaeda and Islamic State, governments across the Sahel are severely weakened.