A carefully orchestrated display of triumph is unfolding across digital platforms. In numerous videos circulating on social media, Tuareg insurgents from the Front de libération de l’Azawad (FLA) and Jnim (the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) are seen celebrating atop armored trucks. These vehicles were abandoned by Russian mercenaries during their hasty retreat, highlighting a significant shift in Mali current affairs.
Following the fall of Kidal in northern Mali, the 400 paramilitaries belonging to Africa Corps—the entity previously known as the Wagner Group—vacated the urban center under escort. This development, a major update for West Africa Mali news, follows an official announcement by the FLA on the social network X. The statement confirmed that an “agreement between Azawadian forces and Africa Corps elements” had been reached to ensure the mercenaries’ protected departure from the city.