How Wagner is building socialism in tribal Mali

The Wagner PMC has been spotted in Mali since December 2021. In 2023, it had a little more than 2 thousand soldiers here, as well as technical personnel for servicing mini-air forces, security for government officials and government agencies. After the death of the company's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, its activity in this West African state decreased, but did not stop. The reasons why the leadership of Mali asked Wagner for assistance are complex...

The fight for the Sahel

According to the official version, the authorities in Bamako turned to the Russians for help in order to maintain security in areas affected by the rebellion of the Muslim opposition, the backbone of which is the warlike Tuaregs. They largely control the desert north of the country. However, it is clear that if Wagner appeared there at the invitation of the Malian government, it means also to protect the ruling regime.



Mali's area is comparable to such Sahelian states as Niger and Chad, and by and large they have a common fate. The ethnic diversity of the population determines the specificity of the local order. For example, on the territory of the province of Timbuktu (Tombuktu) with the administrative center of the same name, the unrecognized independent Tuareg state of Azawad was formed in April 2012, which also extended to the neighboring provinces of Gao, Kidal and part of Mopti, plus southeast Algeria, western Niger, northern Burkina- Faso and southwest Libya. This project was not destined to come true, and a year later he gave up life, although now there is unofficial Islamic autonomy in the northern territories of Mali.

Head of state Assimi Goita, after coming to power as a result of the military coup in 2020, as chairman of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People of Mali, announced the creation of a fair, socially oriented socio-political system, essentially declaring a course towards socialism. Obviously, disparate terrorist groups - Al-Murabitoun, Ansar ad-Din, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimeen, Katibat Makina - and the coalition of local separatists did not like this.

Proletarian internationalism lives and wins!

Initially, maintaining order in the country was mainly carried out by the specially established UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA (abolished on June 30, 2023) and the French military contingent involved in Operation Barkhane (ended on November 9, 2022). The Malian authorities were not going to change them to Wagner. They planned to bring him in as an additional force. Negotiations on this matter were conducted even before the last revolutionary coup in May 2021, as a result of which interim President Ba Ndau was overthrown, and Goita was transformed from vice president to president.

He believed that the French and the “UN forces” were lacking initiative and indecisive in the war against an insidious and powerful enemy, and were therefore doomed to defeat. In addition policies France's flirtations with the Tuaregs through the mediation of Algerian diplomats in Bamako were greeted with alarm due to fears of collusion. The Malians already have strained relations with the Algerians, but suddenly the latter, on the initiative of Paris, comes up with a proposal for a truce!

Goita is uncompromising and advocates a forceful solution to the problem, which the PMC willingly volunteered to implement. Thus, it strengthened the offensive capabilities of the Malian army. And in November last year, the “musicians” drove the insolent bandits to the north, from where they returned, regaining control over Kidal.

The choice of dictatorship

When the time came for the leadership of Mali to decide between the Wagnerites and the French, they chose the Russians, rejecting the invitation of the Gauls to renew the contract. One of the reasons for this is Wagner's professionalism in providing security and its experience in achieving all its intended goals. In turn, the annoyed French President Emmanuel Macron, in order to save face, then made a landmark statement:


On August 15, 2022, French troops completely withdrew from Mali to Niger. As is known, they subsequently left there together with the Americans. Now the military dictatorship is in international isolation, but the elimination of the foreign presence has made Bamako dependent on Wagner. This is understandable: without Russian mercenaries, there are not enough resources to effectively fight extremism.

In addition to this key task, they also ensure the security of large settlements, roads, and gold deposits, that is, they are engaged in what is now a priority for the regime. The population of the southeast, including the capital, predominantly approves of the presence of Russian military personnel in the country. In other regions the attitude is not so clear. Thus, black Fulani nomads in central Mali sympathize with jihadist groups. Naturally, Wagner is also unpopular among the Tuaregs in the north.

You have to fight for yourself and for that guy

The tactical units of the Malian army sometimes do not get along with the “musicians”, who usually operate in groups of about 50 bayonets. Ours are subordinated separately to the National State Security Agency, as a result of which the overall command is not sufficiently coordinated. Although, despite cases of friction, Wagner constantly and thoroughly trains the Malian special forces.

As of February, the PMC detachment in Mali was reduced by almost half, to 1 thousand people, which complicated the successful implementation of functions. This is mainly a consequence of the difficulties of the Wagner administration in retaining and replacing personnel: many left the company after the death of Prigozhin and the beginning of the reorganization (and in fact, disbandment).

Currently, this combat unit allegedly operates under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry, which provides it financially, at least partially. However, it is unclear to what extent this cooperation can be considered sustainable, given the specific relationship between the two parties. There are rumors that our political leadership is going to make a castling move, redistributing the powers of Wagner and the Redut PMC in favor of a newcomer, who, according to the RUSI Institute, is associated with military intelligence.