“For 24 hours, we kept the enemy away from us.” That is how one Russian fighter in Mali, quoted by pro-war Telegram channels, described the battle around Kidal. By April 26 the Africa Corps, the paramilitary force run by Russia’s Defense Ministry, had confirmed it was leaving the northern town.
The announcement came on the second day of the largest coordinated attacks by anti-government forces in years. Rebels had said earlier that the Russians had withdrawn. That claim was first denied, then confirmed.
An attack on the capital’s doorstep
The assault began on April 25. Gunfire was still heard the next day in Kati, the garrison town near Bamako, even though authorities said control had been restored. A three-day nighttime curfew was imposed in the capital, and witnesses described empty streets.
Several international outlets reported that Defense Minister Sadio Camara had been killed. Reuters, citing the French outlet RFI, said Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaida-linked group, struck his residence at the Kati military base. Reuters later reported that his relatives had confirmed the death. Camara was regarded as an architect of the junta’s security policy, including its cooperation with Russian security structures.
JNIM and the Tuareg Front for the Liberation of Azawad claimed responsibility. The Associated Press noted it was the first time Tuareg rebels had openly acknowledged joint action with jihadists. Strikes hit the capital, military sites and northern cities including Kidal, Gao and Mopti at the same time.
An Africa expert interviewed by The Insider called them “the largest attacks since 2012” and said hundreds of fighters took part. The operation was “unprecedented in its coordination,” the expert said, and “undoubtedly preceded by political agreements, negotiations, and compromises among the groups.”
What happened in Kidal
The Tuareg front said its forces had retaken Kidal, a former rebel stronghold that government forces and their allies took in 2023. Rebel representatives said an agreement reached during the fighting let Russian mercenaries leave one of the besieged camps in the area.
Russian pro-war channels then began reporting an evacuation. One of them posted video of a column of vehicles, with fighters cheering, that it said showed wounded personnel and heavy equipment leaving Kidal’s southern base. The footage shows at least 20 pieces of equipment, including a Grad multiple-launch rocket system.
The self-described participant said thousands of fighters had surrounded two small outlying strongpoints and that the main one in Kidal was under siege. “Two thousand fighters have surrounded them,” he said, “and there are now 200 Spartans there, alone.”
Moscow’s own statements were muted. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Mali’s Armed Forces had repelled the assaults and that no Russians were hurt. Neither it nor the embassy in Mali mentioned the Africa Corps taking part. The Africa Corps’ main Telegram channel complained about the omission and called the ministry’s stance “ambiguous.”
The Africa Corps then posted its own confirmation. Under a joint decision with Mali’s leadership, it said, its units “have withdrawn from the area alongside Malian Army personnel.” Wounded servicemen and heavy equipment left first, it added, and “the situation in the Republic of Mali remains difficult.”
The Russian channel Fighterbomber, linked to retired pilot Ilya Tumanov, said a Russian helicopter had been shot down and its crew killed, with ground fire the preliminary cause.
A message to Moscow
The expert said the militants had asked Russian forces to stay out of the fighting. JNIM, in particular, asked Moscow in a written communiqué to stand aside for the sake of “balanced future relations.” The expert called it an attempt to repeat the Syrian scenario.
For the junta of Assimi Goita, the attacks were the most serious challenge in years. The expert said government forces still hold the military edge, thanks to aviation, drones and outside support. Even so, losing Kidal hurts: its recapture in 2023 was a sign the regime was regaining control and had something to show its supporters.
There are no firm figures on losses for either side, and control of several cities, Kidal among them, remains disputed.
