Rebels jeered Putin’s troops out of a key African town. Now his regional grip is slipping away
The retreat followed a coordinated assault by al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg rebels, underscoring Moscow’s weakening security role in the Sahel.
- Last month, the Russia-backed Africa Corps withdrew from the strategic stronghold of Kidal in northern Mali, retreating under the jeers of the very rebels they were sent to crush.
- An unusual alliance of militants linked to al Qaeda and Tuareg separatist rebels launched simultaneous attacks on April 25, enabling a rapid offensive that overran military bases across northern Mali.
- Facing encirclement in Kidal, the Africa Corps—now operating under the Russian Defense Ministry after replacing the Wagner Group—negotiated a safe-passage agreement with militants to evacuate personnel.
- Bakary Sambe, director of the Senegal-based Timbuktu Institute, called the withdrawal "a significant reputational setback" for President Vladimir Putin, as online videos showed fighters mocking the departing Russian convoy.
- Mali faces a strategic dilemma as the junta diversifies security partnerships through the Alliance of Sahel States and expanded procurement from China and Turkey, though Russia remains the sole partner willing to deploy combat forces directly into frontline operations.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Local 3 News
KEZI 9 NewsWhen Russian forces withdrew last month from the strategic enclave of Kidal, in northern Mali — amid the mockery of the same rebels who had been sent to crush — they lost more than territory.
The withdrawal of Russian forces from the strategic city Kidal, northern Mali, is considered by analysts to be one of Kremlin's most serious imaging hits in recent years on the African continent.
When in April Russian troops were forced to retreat from their positions in the town of Kidal in northern Mali, they lost some More than just territory.
Following the outbreak of Tuarez separatists and Al-Qaida-affiliated militants, the Russian African Corps abandoned the strategic town of Kidal in northern Mali.
The loss of control of the city of Kidal and the subsequent Russian withdrawal represents, to a large extent, a failure for the Kremlin.
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