Overview

• On June 6 the Wagner Group announced it would pull its forces out of Mali after supporting the government since 2021
• The private army backed General Assimi Goïta’s regime in counterinsurgency campaigns against Islamist militants and Tuareg rebels
• Recent months brought heavy losses for Wagner, including the deaths of several high-ranking commanders in frontline operations
• Observers link Wagner’s presence to Moscow’s strategy of securing political influence and resource concessions in exchange for military support
• Now directly overseen by the Kremlin following Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, Wagner leaves behind a fragile security environment in the Sahel