# Mali **Mali** is the landlocked Sahel state of about 25 million people that became the flagship of Russia's security business in Africa — and, in 2026, its most visible failure. A military junta led by General [[Assimi Goïta]] has ruled since coups in 2020 and 2021, expelled French forces, brought in the [[Wagner Group]], dissolved every political party, and granted itself an open-ended mandate. Since April 2026 it has been fighting for its survival against the al-Qaeda affiliate [[Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin]] (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists, with Russia's [[Africa Corps]] at its side and losing ground. > [!note] Canonical country record > This page owns the bare name **Mali** and is the default target for `[[Mali]]`. The April 2026 offensive is at [[2026 Mali Attacks]]; the 2022 massacre at [[Moura Massacre]]; the Russian force at [[Africa Corps]]. ## From democracy to junta | Date | Event | |---|---| | 2012 | Tuareg rebellion and a coup; jihadist groups seize the north | | Jan 2013 | French intervention (Operation Serval) retakes northern cities | | Mar 2017 | JNIM formed as al-Qaeda's Sahel affiliate | | Aug 18, 2020 | Coup ousts President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta; Goïta becomes vice president of the transition | | May 24, 2021 | Second coup; Goïta declared interim president | | Late 2021 | [[Wagner Group]] arrives as French forces begin to leave | | Mar 2022 | [[Moura Massacre]] — at least 500 killed by Malian troops and foreign personnel | | Aug 2022 | Last French troops leave | | 2023 | New constitution by referendum; UN peacekeepers (MINUSMA) withdraw at Bamako's demand; [[Alliance of Sahel States]] founded with [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Niger]] | | Jan 29, 2025 | Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formally leave ECOWAS | | May 2025 | All political parties dissolved | | Jun 6, 2025 | Wagner announces its exit; [[Africa Corps]] stays | | Jul 2025 | Law gives Goïta a five-year term, renewable without election "until the country is pacified" | | Sep 2025 | JNIM begins a fuel blockade of the south; schools close nationwide in late October | | Apr 25, 2026 | [[2026 Mali Attacks]] — Defence Minister Sadio Camara killed; Kidal lost | | May 4, 2026 | Goïta names himself defence minister | ## The Russian bargain Mali traded Western partners for Russian ones on a simple premise: the Russians would fight, not lecture. The premise has not survived contact with JNIM. - **What Mali gave** — political alignment; a planned national gold refinery 62% state-owned and 38% held by Russia's Yadran; preferential access as Mali tightened its grip on foreign miners (Barrick Gold settled in late 2025 for about $430 million and accepted the 2023 mining code). - **What Russia delivered** — protection of the junta and offensives in the north, including the retaking of Kidal in November 2023; also documented mass atrocities. ACLED counted Wagner and Malian soldiers responsible for roughly four times as many civilian casualties as JNIM between January 2024 and June 2025. - **Where it broke** — Wagner lost dozens of fighters at the [[Battle of Tinzaouaten]] in July 2024 and left in June 2025 after heavy losses. In April 2026 Africa Corps withdrew from Kidal under a deal with the rebels, and Russian and Malian forces then left other northern posts. Moscow claimed it had foiled a coup in Bamako; the junta's own defence minister was dead. ## 2026: blockade and attrition After April 2026 JNIM declared a blockade of Bamako and kept burning fuel convoys from Senegal into September. Rebels retook and lost towns through the summer; a September 10 assault on the Dioura camp killed at least 50 Malian soldiers and five Africa Corps personnel by one count, over 100 by another. On September 7 a JNIM attack killed several Africa Corps soldiers, a loss confirmed by a Wagner-linked channel. The blockade has not been lifted, but on September 14 the government said more than 900 fuel tankers had reached Bamako under military escort. Kidal remains in the hands of the Tuareg-led FLA. As of early October 2026 Africa Corps was still in Mali — estimates range from about 1,000 to 2,000 personnel, now largely escorting convoys and protecting the junta — and no Russian withdrawal had been announced. ## Mali and Washington The [[Donald Trump]] administration has courted rather than isolated the junta. It placed Mali under a full US entry ban in December 2025 (Mali retaliated with a ban on Americans), but in February 2026 the Treasury lifted Wagner-related sanctions on Defence Minister Camara and two officers, and by mid-2026 officials were discussing renewed US intelligence flights and mining access. Reports that the administration was weighing military options against JNIM rest on a single news report and were not confirmed by Bamako. No signed US intelligence-flight agreement has been reported. Mali notified the UN of its withdrawal from the [[International Criminal Court]] on June 24, 2026; it takes effect a year later. ## See Also - [[Assimi Goïta]] · [[Africa Corps]] · [[Wagner Group]] · [[2026 Mali Attacks]] · [[Moura Massacre]] - [[Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin]] · [[Alliance of Sahel States]] · [[France]] - [[Security-for-Minerals]] · [[Gold]] · [[Africa]] · [[Countries Hub]]