Mali: the Russians arrive in Ménaka, how will they fight?

A French soldier from Barkhane on a roof in Ménaka in Mali, March 22, 2019. The French are now giving way to the Russians (illustrative image).

RFI/Olivier Fourt

Text by: David Baché

2 mins

In Mali, the Russians have been in Ménaka since Wednesday afternoon, June 15.

The process is now well established: as the French soldiers of the Barkhane force disengage from the North, the Russian auxiliaries of the Malian army invest their bases.

This was the case in Timbuktu, in Gossi and now in Ménaka, in the northeast of the country, near the border with Niger.

A base that Barkhane left on Monday, in a very particular context and very different from other areas where Russian fighters have deployed so far.

The Ménaka region has been experiencing an ultra-violent offensive by the Sahelian branch of the Islamic State group since the beginning of March and, faced with the jihadists, so far it has been local armed groups, signatories of the 2015 peace agreement, which have are found on the front line.

Advertising

Read more

“ 

For the moment we have had no contact with them 

”.

It is one of the leaders of the MSA-Gatia coalition who speaks, these two local armed groups, mainly composed of Tuaregs, which have been trying for more than three months to defend the populations against the attacks of the Islamic State group.

“ 

We saw the arrival of the Russians

, continues this source,

we were not informed but now I find it hard to see how not to work together. 

»

Forty to fifty fighters 

According to several local and international military and civilian sources, 40 to 50 Russian fighters arrived yesterday, Wednesday June 15, at the beginning of the afternoon in Ménaka, on board Malian army planes but without Malian soldiers.

The staff obviously gave no details, it never communicates on the Russian auxiliaries (the "instructors" of the Russian army, according to the terminology of Bamako, mercenaries of the Wagner group, according to the rest of the world) .

For three months, the Malian army totally ignored the ISGS attacks in the Ménaka region, which nevertheless left an estimated 300 to 500 dead. 

But, ten days ago, the Fama officially entered the scene with the GTIA 8, a battalion mainly composed of combatants from the ranks of the Gatia and led by the general of the Malian army El-Hadj Ag Gamou, him -even military leader of the Gatia.  

What are the Russians going to do?

How will all these players evolve?

Together ?

Side by side ?

Their separate ways ?

For several days, armed groups and even the United Nations have been warning about the threat of an EIGS attack on the town of Ménaka.

Did the Russians come to defend the city?

Will they go beyond, in the bush, in the region, where the jihadists are increasing their violent attacks, especially against civilians?

Last weekend, the MSA still deplored the murder of 22 people, including internally displaced persons, by EIGS jihadists who landed on a motorbike in a camp.  

►Also read

: Mali begins to withdraw its soldiers from the G5 Sahel

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

  • mali

  • IS

  • Defense

  • Terrorism

  • Russia

  • France