Wagner Group confirms fighters killed in battle against rebels in Mali

The Wagner mercenary group confirmed On Monday it was said that some of their fighters had been killed in recent days along with soldiers of the Malian army in fighting against the rebel forces.

The rebel movement Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) said in a statement on Saturday that its troops had “decisively wiped out” the Malian army backed by Wagner and captured the remaining survivors.

AFP quoted a local official and a former UN mission official in the town of Kidal as saying that at least 15 Wagner fighters were killed or captured during the Malian army’s retreat.

Wagner made a rare statement on Monday describing the “fierce fighting” with the insurgents that lasted from July 22 to 27 and resulted in a series of tactical victories followed by defeats.

“The radicals have increased the number of their mass attacks, using heavy weapons, drones and shahid mobiles,” the private military group said in a statement, adding that it received the last radio message from the attack force involved in the fighting on Saturday.

According to Wagner, the message was: “There are still three of us, we will keep fighting.” The mercenary group did not provide any information on how many of its fighters were probably killed.

The news channel Baza Telegram, which allegedly has links to Russian intelligence services, had previously reported that at least 20 Wagner fighters were killed in the fighting. Mali’s army claimed two of its soldiers were killed and ten wounded.

The West African country’s military leaders, who seized power in a coup in 2020, have made it a priority to retake the entire country from separatist and jihadist forces, especially the city of Kidal. A junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita broke the country’s traditional alliance with former colonial power France in favor of Russia.

On Thursday, there was massive fighting between the army and separatists in the border town of Tinzaouatene after the Malian army announced that it had regained control of several districts. The district is almost entirely surrounded by Algerian territory and has been the scene of numerous battles between separatist forces and the Malian army over the past decade.

AFP reported over the weekend that it had received videos from a separatist spokesman showing several bodies lying on the ground, presumably those of Wagner mercenaries and army soldiers.

The Malian army rarely releases figures on its losses, and pressure from the ruling junta and armed groups has silenced most independent sources of information in combat zones.

Wagner resumed recruiting fighters for deployment in Africa after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in August 2023. According to Baza, the Wagner fighters killed and captured in Mali had been stationed there since 2021.

AFP contributed to the reporting.