Moscow on Thursday rejected a call by Tuareg rebels to withdraw its forces from Mali after separatists and jihadists launched the largest attacks in 15 years against the rule of the military junta in the country. Since 2012, the West African country has faced a multifaceted security crisis, fueled in particular by violence launched by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as local criminal gangs and groups demanding secession.
Published on: 04/30/2026 - 12:35 Last updated: 04/30/2026 - 13:37
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russian forces will remain in Mali, stressing Moscow's rejection of a call from Tuareg rebels to withdraw them, after separatists and jihadists launched the largest attacks in 15 years against the rule of the military junta.
Read also: The security crisis in Mali: Does danger threaten the Maghreb countries?
Peskov told reporters that Russia's presence in Mali "is linked to the necessity declared by the authorities." He added, "Russia will continue to combat extremism, terrorism and other negative manifestations, including in Mali."
Moscow's paramilitary "Africa Corps" unit withdrew last weekend from a major town in the north of the country, following attacks by Tuareg rebels that also targeted the capital, Bamako, and resulted in the killing of the Minister of Defense.
A spokesman for the Tuareg rebels in the Front for the Liberation of Azawad told Agence France-Presse, during a visit to Paris on Wednesday, that “the regime will fall, sooner or later,” calling on Russia to withdraw from the entire country.
Read also: Mali: What is the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad and what are its demands?
On Thursday, Mali was scheduled to hold a funeral for Defense Minister Sadio Camara, who is seen as the architect of the junta's shift towards Russia.
Since 2012, the West African country has faced a multifaceted security crisis, fueled in particular by violence launched by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as local criminal gangs and groups demanding secession.
The ruling military junta in Mali, like its counterparts in Niger and Burkina Faso, has cut ties with the former colonial power, France, moving towards strengthening political and military rapprochement with Moscow.
The "Africa Corps" is subject to the supervision of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and it succeeded the Wagner paramilitary group, which has spread for years in several African countries.
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in 2023 after the plane he was traveling in crashed in Russia, two months after he led a rebellion against the country's senior military leaders.
France 24/AFP
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