Rebels Obliterate Dozens of Wagner Fighters in Northern Mali (GRAPHIC)

Mali’s northern Tuareg rebels claimed they killed and injured dozens of soldiers and Wagner mercenaries in two days of fighting near the Algerian border. The army reported losing two soldiers but said it killed around 20 rebels.

The rebel group, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD), stated it seized armored vehicles, trucks, and tankers during the clashes at Tinzaouaten on Thursday and Friday. They also reported damaging a helicopter, which later crashed in Kidal, hundreds of kilometers away.

In Mali, local fighters defeated a large attack group of the Russian Military Contingent "Wagner" that tried to attack one of the cities they controlled.
During the battle, the mercenaries lost several MRAP armored vehicles and a Mi-24 helicopter pic.twitter.com/p8ZD8kI4kI

— TOGA (@TOGAjano21) July 27, 2024

Amateur videos circulated on social media showed the bodies of several white men and Malian soldiers strewn on the ground alongside destroyed vehicles.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the pro-independence CSP-DPA coalition, stated that a two-day battle took place on the outskirts of Tinzawaten village, where the rebels “routed the entire column of Malian army and Russian mercenaries.”

Ramadane said the enemy suffered significant losses in terms of lives and equipment, with dozens of dead and wounded. He also noted that some Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries surrendered to the Tuareg fighters.

The Malian army confirmed that two soldiers were killed and 10 injured. They also mentioned a helicopter crash in Kidal on Friday during a routine mission, though no fatalities were reported.

Neither side’s account could be independently verified.

The Tuareg, an ethnic group inhabiting the Sahara region, including northern Mali, often feel marginalized by the Malian government. The separatist group began an insurgency against Mali’s junta in 2012, which was later co-opted by militant groups. A peace agreement was signed in 2015, but the CSP-PSD withdrew from talks at the end of 2022.