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In its report titled “Russian Repositioning in the Sahel – From Wagner to Africa Corps,” the Timbuktu Institute says this move directly strengthens Russia’s military and diplomatic footprint in countries like Mali.
Russia changes track in its intervention in the Sahel region, according to a new report from the Timbuktu Institute. The report says that the Russians deploy the state-run force, namely, the Africa Corps, instead of the Wagner Group for the covert operations in the Sahel region.
After more than three years in Mali, Wagner forces officially withdrew on June 6, 2025. The next day, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced the deployment of Africa Corps, a new paramilitary force operating within a formal government framework.
In its report titled “Russian Repositioning in the Sahel – From Wagner to Africa Corps,” the Timbuktu Institute says this move directly strengthens Russia’s military and diplomatic footprint in countries like Mali. Unlike Wagner, the Africa Corps is fully controlled by the Russian state and tied to military intelligence. The report calls this the end of “plausible deniability.”
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It also warns that Africa Corps inherits Wagner’s troubling legacy, which includes allegations of extrajudicial killings and torture, such as the massacre in Moura in 2022. Russia’s presence is no longer in the shadows. It is now official, structured, and set to shape the region’s future in powerful new ways.
