Africa Corps

Also known as: Russia's Africa Corps

Africa Corps — Russian paramilitary group operating in Mali and Niger supporting government forces against jihadist and separatist militants.

2026-04-252026-11-04

News reports

Order a long-term news report on Africa Corps

Every mention in the Kenyan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

September 2026
29 SeptThe Standard
… Mali's ruling junta, which came to power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, turned to Russia for support in its fight against jihadists, notably enlisting the Wagner group paramilitaries, which later became Africa Corps.Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the Malian ar …
Mali army, Russian paramilitaries committed 'war crimes': Amnesty
22 SeptThe Standard
… While maintaining ties with the former colonial ruler France, the new government has also forged relations with Russia, receiving several arms deliveries from Moscow in a highly publicised military partnership that includes training by Africa Corps, which succeeded the Wagner mer …
A year after military power grab, Madagascar awaits change
19 SeptThe Standard
… Earlier this week various sources reported that at least 50 Mali soldiers and five mercenaries from Russia's Africa Corps had been killed, with some placing the death toll as high as 60 to 80 soldiers.The strategic Dioura army base in the centre of the country remains abandoned e …
Death toll passes 100 soldiers in Mali attack last week: sources
10 SeptCitizen Digital
… The military government, which in recent years has cut ties with the West and grown close to Moscow, is using Russia's Africa Corps paramilitary fighters for help in battling the insurgents. …
Generative AI a new tool in Mali's information war: study
1 SeptThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeGeneral Abdourahmane Tchiani in Niamey, Niger, on July 28, 2023. [VOA] The pivotal role played by Russia's Africa Corps mercenaries in putting down a mutiny in Niger at the weekend has revealed just how dependent on Moscow the west African country's ruling junta …
Thwarted Niger mutiny exposes junta's Russia dependence
July 2026
11 JulCitizen Digital
… Paramilitaries from Russia's Africa Corps and a contingent of Malian soldiers remained entrenched in the camp, which they continued to defend. …
Mali army, Russian paramilitary allies retake northern town
5 JulCitizen Digital
… "These coordinated attacks between JNIM and FLA are intended to overwhelm the Malian army and Africa Corps, and they appear to be successful at that", Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Moroccan think tank Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), told AFP. …
Rebels pressure Mali's junta as it struggles for control
5 JulCitizen Digital
… "These coordinated attacks between JNIM and FLA are intended to overwhelm the Malian army and Africa Corps, and they appear to be successful at that", Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Moroccan think tank Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), told AFP. …
Rebels pressure Mali's junta as it struggles for control
May 2026
20 MayThe Standard
… The deal potentially allows the Russian paramilitary Africa Corps -- the successor to the Wagner mercenary group -- to expand within mineral-rich Togo.Russia, like France, also has eyes on the strategic port of Lome, the deepest in west Africa. …
France, Russia jostle for influence in Togo
April 2026
28 AprCitizen Digital
… Since expelling French and U.N. troops, Mali has leaned heavily on Moscow for military support, initially from Wagner and more recently with troops from Africa Corps, a force more closely linked to the Russian government. …
Mali at risk of splintering after jihadi and separatist attacks

World & Region

Mali army and Wagner group committed war crimes—Amnesty

The News

Amnesty International reported that Mali's armed forces and Russian paramilitary Wagner group committed war crimes including murder and torture of civilians during joint operations. The organisation documented the deaths of at least 34 civilians across seven locations in central and northern Mali between June 2023 and December 2025, with victims shot, having their throats slit, burnt alive, or killed in drone strikes.

29 September 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 29 September

Mali army and Wagner group committed war crimes—Amnesty
Amnesty International reported that Mali's armed forces and Russian paramilitary Wagner group committed war crimes including murder and torture of civilians during joint operations. The organisation documented the deaths of at least 34 civilians across seven locations in central and northern Mali between June 2023 and December 2025, with victims shot, having their throats slit, burnt alive, or killed in drone strikes.
29 September 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 22 September

Madagascar marks year since military coup, protests stall
A year after a military coup toppled President Andry Rajoelina in October 2025, Madagascar's Col. Michael Randrianirina leads the transitional government with a promise of elections within two years. Young activists say chronic water and electricity cuts — the original demands that sparked the Gen Z-led protests — remain unresolved.
22 September 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 19 September

Death toll from Mali military camp attack exceeds 100 soldiers
At least 100 soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack on the Dioura military base in Mali on September 10, one of the deadliest assaults on the Malian army since the conflict began nearly 15 years ago. Multiple sources report over 80 soldiers were taken prisoner, the camp was abandoned, and its weaponry removed.
19 September 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 10 September

Generative AI used for information warfare in Mali
A Timbuktu Institute study found that generative AI is increasingly being used to "amplify and accelerate" existing faultlines in Mali's security crisis, with conflict factions mastering the technology to varying degrees and the country serving as an "open-air laboratory" for AI's use in warfare.
10 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Tuesday 1 September

Russia's Africa Corps mercenaries help Niger junta suppress mutiny
Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps played a decisive role in helping Niger's military government suppress a mutiny over the weekend in the capital Niamey, exposing the junta's dependence on Moscow at odds with its stated goal of reclaiming national sovereignty from foreign powers.
1 September 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 11 July

Mali army retakes northern town after week-long rebel assault
Mali's army and Russian paramilitary Africa Corps forces regained control of the northern town of Anefis after fighting against Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and Tuareg separatists for nearly a week. Reinforcements arrived Thursday evening and retook the town, located about 100 kilometres from the rebel-controlled city of Kidal.
11 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Sunday 5 July

Mali's junta faces pressure from coordinated jihadist and Tuareg attacks
Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadists and Tuareg FLA separatists launched coordinated assaults across Mali on Saturday, targeting key northern and central towns as well as a major prison south of the capital, demonstrating the junta's difficulty in controlling the vast Sahel nation.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Mali's junta faces pressure from coordinated rebel and jihadist attacks
Following a major offensive two months prior, Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadists and Tuareg FLA separatists carried out coordinated assaults across Mali on Saturday, attacking key towns in the north and centre and one of the country's largest prisons south of the capital. The attacks demonstrate the junta's difficulty in controlling the vast Sahel nation and suggest it is increasingly threatened and isolated in Bamako and the garrison stronghold of Kati.
5 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Wednesday 20 May

France sends first minister to Togo in 24 years to counter Russian influence
France sent its foreign minister to Togo in April—the first such visit in 24 years—as part of an effort to counter Russia's growing influence in the west African country. In 2025, Moscow signed an agreement with Togo to send military instructors, ships, and aircraft, potentially allowing the Russian paramilitary Africa Corps to expand within the mineral-rich nation.
20 May 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 28 April

Mali's defence minister killed in coordinated al Qaeda and separatist attacks
In simultaneous attacks on Saturday, an alliance of al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatist rebels killed Mali's defence minister, struck the capital's airport, and drove Russian soldiers from a desert town over a thousand kilometres away, demonstrating unprecedented coordination across multiple sites around Bamako and at least three towns across the country.
28 April 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Monday 27 April

Mali's defence minister killed in suicide bombing near Bamako
Mali's defence minister Sadio Camara was killed in an apparent suicide truck bombing on his residence near the capital Bamako, as part of a wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and separatists across the country. The attack, launched by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda, also killed at least three family members.
27 April 2026 · Capital News →

Saturday 25 April

Mali army battles unidentified armed groups across nation
The army in junta-ruled Mali on Saturday battled "terrorist groups" it said had launched attacks across the country, with fighting reported in the capital Bamako and other key cities including Gao, Kidal and Sevare. Mali has faced more than a decade of jihadist conflict and security turmoil linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates.
25 April 2026 · The Standard →