DAKAR, Senegal (CHATNEWSTV) — The Wagner Group has completed its withdrawal from Mali, handing over military operations to the Kremlin-backed Africa Corps in a move that signals Russia’s formal consolidation of power in Africa, the mercenary group announced Thursday.
In a message posted June 6 on Wagner’s official Telegram channel, the paramilitary group said its troops were “returning home” and declared its mission in Mali “accomplished.”
But military analysts and observers say Wagner’s departure leaves behind a worsening security crisis.
“Wagner’s exit does not signal victory — it signals failure,” said a senior West African security official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. “The insurgents are stronger than ever.”
Since Wagner’s deployment in 2021, Mali’s ruling junta has made some battlefield gains, particularly against Tuareg separatists in the north. However, al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates have expanded their reach, and jihadist attacks now threaten even the capital, Bamako — attacked for the first time in nearly a decade in 2024.
“Wagner suffered massive losses near the Algerian border in mid-2024 and failed to decisively defeat the rebels,” said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which tracks Russian military activity.
Wagner’s withdrawal follows months of internal Russian power shifts. After Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in August 2023, the Kremlin moved to bring Wagner’s international operations under state control. The Africa Corps, a formal extension of the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD), will now spearhead operations in Mali and possibly elsewhere.
“Africa Corps will remain in Mali,” the new group announced on June 6, confirming its expanded role.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has toured Africa to manage the transition, visiting Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), Wagner’s last stronghold on the continent. Moscow has reportedly promised more equipment and recruitment in Mali, aiming to fill Wagner’s vacuum and solidify its influence.
“The Kremlin sees Africa as a front where it can project power and challenge the West,” said an ISW analyst.
Yet the move risks backfiring. Wagner’s unofficial status gave the Kremlin plausible deniability for missteps, including the deadly ambush in Tinzaouten that killed dozens of Russians in 2024. Africa Corps’ formal military designation could now make the Kremlin directly accountable for any future failures.
“Russia can no longer hide behind Wagner’s shadow,” said a European diplomat in Bamako. “They’ll own both the successes and the failures now.”
In the CAR, the transition is more complicated. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has insisted on retaining Wagner bodyguards and top advisers, resisting full MOD control. Wagner-linked forces also continue to dominate lucrative resource operations in timber and gold.
Still, Africa Corps has seen a recruiting surge in 2025, reportedly absorbing up to 80% of Wagner’s former personnel. The Kremlin is also weighing whether to build a full military base in the CAR — a move that could anchor long-term Russian operations across the continent.
Despite potential gains, Moscow faces increasing risks. Domestic backlash over casualties and rising costs, particularly amid its war in Ukraine, may limit its appetite for long-term engagement.
“Africa Corps won’t have Wagner’s ability to disappear when things go wrong,” said a former Russian military officer now in exile. “Now it’s Russia’s war.”
As the Kremlin continues its campaign to position itself as a global military power, its African gamble may become a litmus test for its broader geopolitical ambitions.
