Mali rebels claim to have killed at least 130 soldiers and Russians in July clashes

The rebels said Thursday they had killed at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers during several days of heavy fighting in late July. Russia demonstrated its continued commitment to Mali’s military junta.

The rebel movement’s Strategic Framework for Permanent Peace, Security and Development (CSP) previously said the group conflict Around the northern border town of Tinzavatten, Al-Qaeda The affiliate said it killed 50 Wagner fighters in an ambush in the same area.

Even before the CSP announced the latest death toll, the losses appeared to be the largest since Wagner stepped in to help Mali two years ago. army The authorities cracked down on West Africaof Sahel area.

Neither Mali nor Wagner disclosed how many soldiers they had lost in the conflict, although July 29 Rare statementWagner said the loss was heavy.

The apparent debacle did not appear to have damaged prospects for Russian-Mali cooperation.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russia spoke with Mali’s foreign minister and said it was “firmly willing to continue providing the necessary support,” including on socio-economic issues, improving the armed forces’ combat capabilities and training military personnel. The statement did not mention the recent fighting.

The Russians have been in Mali since the Malian army seized power in two coups in 2020 and 2021 and expelled French and UN forces that had been involved in fighting Islamist insurgents for a decade and replaced them with Wagner forces.

Malian authorities have accused the Tuareg of colluding with jihadist groups, but Malian security forces said in a statement they had fought alone “from beginning to end” in the recent conflict.

The US military reportedly captured seven Malian soldiers and Wagner militants and seized a large number of armsammunition, vehicles and other equipment.

The Tuareg live in the Sahara desert, which includes parts of northern Mali, and many complain that the Malian government is marginalizing them.

Tuareg separatists launch 2012 Rebellion against MaliTheir struggle later became entangled with an al-Qaeda-aligned Islamist insurgency in the same region.