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Russian Africa Corps Forced Out of Kidal as Rebels Seize Key Mali City
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Russian forces operating in Mali, along with Malian government troops, have withdrawn from the northern city of Kidal after reaching an agreement with a coalition of Tuareg and Islamist fighters, marking a significant shift in control over one of the country’s most strategically important regions.
According to multiple reports, the withdrawal followed negotiations with the Azawad Liberation Front and the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
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A convoy of Malian and Russian personnel was seen assembling at the former United Nations MINUSMA base before departing the city under escort from the rebel alliance.
A Tuareg official confirmed the arrangement to Agence France-Presse, stating: “An accord has been reached permitting the Malian army and its Africa Corps allies to leave camp 2, where they were holed up since yesterday.”
Local witnesses described a coordinated withdrawal, with vehicles leaving the area while fighters from armed groups moved into the city.
🔴 Russian Africa Corps withdraws from northern Mali base.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) April 27, 2026
Russian Kremlin-backed mercenaries from the Africa Corps, the rebranded successor to the Wagner Group, reportedly negotiated a withdrawal from their base in Kidal after being surrounded by rebel forces and abandoning… pic.twitter.com/TXaIE1Ok1z
Sniper units that had been positioned to block the rebel advance were also included in the withdrawal.
The development follows claims by the Azawad Liberation Front that it had established “total control” over Kidal in coordination with JNIM, leaving only a small pocket of resistance—now reportedly evacuated under the agreement.
“Kidal is declared free,” said FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan.
Soldiers and equipment with Russia’s Africa Corps, including armored vehicles, towed artillery and rocket artillery, seen withdrawing from their barrack in Kidal, Mali earlier today, following a negotiated withdrawal with rebel forces, after a day-long siege against the barracks… pic.twitter.com/xV2zIsp2dw
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 26, 2026
Mali’s military leadership confirmed the withdrawal, with Armed Forces Chief Gen. Oumar Diarra stating on state television that troops had left the city and were repositioning in Anéfis, about 100 kilometers to the south.
Kidal has long held both strategic and symbolic importance. It served as a stronghold for Tuareg rebels for years before being retaken in November 2023 by Malian forces supported by Russian fighters, ending more than a decade of rebel control.
In a statement, Russia’s Africa Corps claimed its units had left Kidal “in accordance with a joint decision of the leadership of the Republic of Mali,” adding that wounded personnel and heavy equipment were evacuated first.
The statement emphasized that its forces continue to carry out assigned tasks and described the situation in Mali as “complex.”
Anéfis is not a safe haven for Russian troops deployed in Mali either. Previously, rebels in northern Mali launched a drone and artillery strike against Russian-linked forces near this town.
Fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front targeted a camp used by Russian mercenaries from the so-called “African Corps,” along with Malian junta forces, near the town of Anéfis with artillery strikes and FPV-drones.
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