This undated photo provided by the French military shows three Russian mercenaries in northern Mali. | Photo credit: AP
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said on Monday it suffered heavy losses, including a commander, during fighting with separatist forces in northeastern Mali last week.
The West African nation, which has been actively fighting rebel jihadist and separatist forces in its north for more than a decade, turned to Wagner for support after a military junta took power in 2020.
From July 22 to 27, Malian armed forces and fighters from Wagner’s 13th Assault Squad “fought fierce battles” against a coalition of Tuareg separatist forces and jihadist militants, according to a statement by Razgruzka Wagnera, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner’s leadership.
The statement said that over a two-day period the separatists “launched an increasing number of large-scale attacks using heavy weapons, drones and SVBIEDs (suicide car bombs), causing casualties among Wagner and Malian army troops.”
It said that the commander of the 13th assault squad, Sergei “Prud” Shevchenko, was killed in battle, and that his group’s last message was: “There are three of us left. We will continue to fight.”
A spokesman for the CSP-DPA coalition, which mainly comprises Tuareg separatist forces, on Sunday claimed victory over the Malian army and Wagner.
Mali’s military leaders, who seized power in a coup, have made it a priority to retake the entire country from separatist and jihadist forces, especially the pro-independence stronghold of Kidal in the north.