The Malian army retook the town of Kidal from a coalition of Tuareg separatists known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP) on November 14, with the help of Russian military contractor mercenaries. , the Wagner Group. Wagner’s mercenaries allowed local people to take their picture – a first since the group was first deployed in the country in 2021.
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After a month and a half of fighting, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) retook the town of Kidal from the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP) on November 14, with the help of military contractor mercenaries. in Russia. Wagner group.
There has been long-standing tension between the Malian government, based in Bamako, and the Tuareg population based in the north of the country, who feel isolated and have a series of independence movements. These tensions have their roots in the ethnic divide between the lighter-skinned Tuareg and the majority population of Mali, who are darker-skinned.
‘This is a message to the West to let them know that they are retaking this strategic city’
Souleymane Ag Anara is a freelance journalist. He often reports from Kidal.
We have never seen such images of the Wagner group in Mali. Until now, the photos of the mercenaries posted on social media were clearly taken secretly. The photos show the backs of the mercenaries or are taken from a distance. But this time, they let themselves go because they want to show their victory, that they are really from Kidal itself. This is a message to the West to let them know that they have retaken this strategic town, which is very difficult, and has been in the hands of the Tuareg since 2013.
Kidal is a historical bastion of separatist and rebel movements. Most of the people living there fled before the arrival of the Malian Armed Forces and their allies in Wagner. Mali’s transitional government denies that mercenaries are operating in the country, although they refer to “military instructors” who are on the ground, helping them fight terrorism.
#Wrong #Azawad
The first pictures of Russian mercenaries in Kidal. pic.twitter.com/kEywiN6mI2— Souleymane Ag Anara (@ag_anara) November 14, 2023
The third picture shows a local man taking a photo with a Wagner mercenary on November 14. Journalist Souleymane Ag Anara’s tweet says, in French, that these are the first photos of the Russian mercenaries in Kidal.
Many NGOs have accused Wagner’s mercenaries of human rights abuses in Mali. The Malian Armed Forces, together with foreign fighters believed to be members of the Wager Group, have killed or disappeared scores of civilians in central Mali since December 2022, according to Human Rights Watch in a report published in July 2023.
#Wrong #Azawad #No hands
Why did Wagner’s mercenaries publicly disclose their presence in Kidal?
This is the first time since their arrival in Mali that they have received the photos. pic.twitter.com/XqsW70XH8O— Souleymane Ag Anara (@ag_anara) November 14, 2023
These photos of Wagner fighters were probably taken by people living in Kidal on November 14. Journalist Souleymane Ag Anara’s tweet questions, in French, why Russian mercenaries in Kidal allow the local to take their photos. This is the first in the history of their presence in the country.
In videos and photos shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), local people seem to treat the Wagner fighters as liberators. In one video, a crowd chants “Mali ! Mali!” with enthusiasm.
The people seen in these videos are not Tuareg, they have dark skin. These celebrations could anger the Tuareg separatists and, if they retake the town, there could be more violence.
There have been reports posted on social media that the homes of Songhai people, who belong to a minority ethnic group with darker skin, have been looted. We have not been able to independently verify these accusations at this time, but we are trying to contact witnesses.
There have been instances of conflict between the Tuareg and Songhai residents of Kidal in the past. In June 2013, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg organization that, at the time, controlled Kidal, carried out a wave of arrests of black people accused of being “spies for the Malian government.”
