- Title: REFILE: The identities of Wagner mercenaries lost in a Mali ambush revealed
- Date: 11th September 2024
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 30, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFRICA SPECIALIST AT THE ARMED CONFLICT LOCATION & EVENT DATA PROJECT (ACLED), LADD SERWAT, SAYING: "The levels of civilian targeting have been incredibly high. Those have escalated in Mali beyond those that we saw under the leadership of Prigozhin. So if we do assume more control by the Minis
- Embargoed: 25th September 2024 08:00
- Keywords: africa conflict europe eye group insurgencies media mercenaries military peace rebels russia social tuareg ugc wagner war west witness
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Mali
- Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA007251008092024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Among the Wagner mercenaries presumed dead in a desert battle with Tuareg rebels in Mali in late July 2024 were Russian war veterans who had survived tours in Ukraine, Libya and Syria, according to a review of social media data and footage from the battle.
The losses expose the dangers faced by Russian soldiers and mercenary forces working for military juntas that are struggling to contain separatists and powerful offshoots of Islamic State and Al Qaeda across the arid Sahel region in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The Mali defeat raises doubts about Moscow's ability to do better than the Western forces recently expelled by the juntas, said six officials and experts who work in the region.
Grisly footage of dead fighters has now circulated online, and angry relatives say the bodies of their husbands and sons have been abandoned in the desert, leaving them without answers.
Footage from the battle near Tinzaouaten, a town on the Algerian border, shows Tuareg rebel alliance (CMA) fighters examining captured vehicles and walking through debris left behind by Russian mercenaries. Bodies of Russian fighters can be seen near damaged vehicles.
Jędrzej Czerep, an analyst at the Warsaw-based Polish Institute of International Affairs, described the significance of the battle:
"Well, it was the biggest defeat that Wagner suffered in Africa, actually the biggest effect it's suffered beyond Ukraine after a Syrian defeat a few years back. So, it was highly unexpected by Russians, because they consider it a more or less safe operation," he said.
Reuters was able to verify the location and timing of key footage related to the battle, with video showing Wagner mercenaries patrolling with Malian Armed Forces soldiers several days before geolocated to 50 km (31 miles) east of Tinzaouaten based on matching buildings and trees to satellite imagery.
The Russian-speaking men wore fatigues consistent with those used by Wagner fighters, and an official Wagner Telegram channel confirmed its forces' presence in the region in July 2024.
Aftermath footage was verified as being near Tinzaouaten, approximately 5 km (3 miles) south of the town, where Tuareg rebel sources stated the battle occurred between July 25-27, 2024. This was determined by matching the shape and position of mountains and hills to satellite imagery and topographical data. Multiple videos corroborated each other with consistent scenery.
By cross-referencing public information with online posts by relatives and fighters, speaking to seven relatives and using facial recognition software, Reuters was also able to identify 25 fighters who were left dead or in Tuareg captivity after the ambush.
Several had survived the siege of Bakhmut in Ukraine, which Wagner's late founder Yevgeny Prigozhin called a "meat grinder". Others had served in Libya, Syria and elsewhere. Several were former Russian soldiers, at least one of whom had retired after a full-length army career.
"Our aim is not to harm anyone, even those who we have as prisoners, we are going to treat them very well," said Mohamed Elmaoulound Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Tuareg rebel alliance. "We don't have a problem with Russia. It's Russia that has invited itself into problems that don't concern it."
The Russian Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Wagner, now known formally as Africa Corps, did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Mikhail Zvinchuk, a prominent blogger close to the Russian defense ministry, said on social media that the defeat showed that Wagner fighters who arrived from Ukraine underestimated the rebels and the Al Qaeda fighters.
In Africa, Wagner emerged in Sudan in 2017 as the deniable face of Russian operations. Its enterprises soon ranged from protecting African coup leaders to gold mining and fighting jihadists. Wagner is also active in Central African Republic. It first appeared in Mali in late 2021.
Wagner's fate rose and fell last year. In May, the group led Russia to its first significant Ukrainian battlefield victory in almost a year with the capture of Bakhmut. But Prigozhin's criticism of Russian military leaders and effort to lead a rebellion weeks later ended with his death in a fiery plane crash in August.
Moscow admitted to funding Wagner last year. After Prigozhin's death, Wagner employees were invited to join the Ministry of Defence's newly created Africa Corps, "to fight for justice and the interests of Russia."
Africa Corps says about half its personnel are former Wagner employees who it allows to use Wagner insignia. Wagner appears to still exist as an entity and its social media channels remain active.
Wagner does not publish recruitment figures. Czerep estimated that around 6,000 Russian mercenaries serve in Africa, while three diplomatic sources said about 1,500-2,000 were in Mali. Recruitment drives are targeting numbers between 20 and 40 thousand, he said, advertising an Africa posting as a kind of "holiday experience".
Wagner acknowledged heavy losses in the Mali ambush but gave no figure. The Malian army, which fought alongside the Russians, also did not give a toll. Tuareg rebels said they had killed 84 Russians and 47 Malians.
Reuters could not independently establish how many were killed in battle. One video, out of more than 20 sent to Reuters by a Tuareg rebel spokesman, showed at least 47 bodies, mostly white men, in military-style uniforms lying in the desert.
Russian mercenary activity soared in Mali after Africa Corps was formed, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a U.S.-based crisis-monitoring group. Based on media reports and social media documenting, the data shows violent events linked to Russian mercenaries rose 81% and reported civilian fatalities rose 65% over the past year, compared to the year before Prighozin' s death.
Ladd Serwat, an Africa specialist at ACLED, said there has also been increased violence against civilians.
"The levels of civilian targeting have been incredibly high," he said. "Those have escalated in Mali beyond those that we saw under the leadership of Prigozhin."
Democratic governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger were overthrown in a series of coups since 2020 driven by anger with corrupt leaders and a near decade of failed Western efforts to fight insurgencies that have killed thousands and displaced millions. The military juntas have kicked out French and U.S. troops and U.N. peacekeepers.
Ramadane, the Tuareg rebel alliance spokesperson, told Reuters it was preparing for further clashes after its rout of the Russians in July.
(Production: Cooper Inveen, Jiawei Wang, Anna Lubawicka) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None