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.

2026-04-252026-11-05

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.

April 2026
27 AprCapital News
… Shortly after these reports, Ramadane said: “An agreement was reached between the Azawad forces and the Russian elements of the Africa Corps with a view to ensuring their secure withdrawal from the fighting.” In later updates, he said they were “permanently withdrawing from Kidal …
Mali defence minister killed as country hit by wave of rebel attacks
25 AprThe Standard
… Russia's Wagner Group, which had been fighting with Malian forces against jihadists since 2021, announced the end of its mission in June 2025, and has become the Africa Corps, an organisation under the direct control of the Russian defence ministry. …
Gunfire in Mali as army battles 'terrorist groups'

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 →