Al-Qaeda attacks Wagner convoy in Mali

23 November, 2024 Ammunition of dead Wagner mercenaries. Photo by @SimNasr Militants of al-Qaeda in Mali (JNIM AQIM) ambushed a Wagner PMC convoy in the south of the Republic of Mali.

This was reported by Wassim Nasr, a journalist for FRANCE24 who specializes in African affairs. The attack took place between the cities of Bandiagara and Djigibombo in Mali on November 22, 2024. It is reported that the attack on the convoy had been carried out using an improvised explosive device.

Results of the attack

Al-Qaeda claims that 6 mercenaries of the Wagner PMC were killed.

The video released by the group shows that the convoy consisted of two vehicles - a flatbed truck and a car.

Wagner PMC mercenaries killed in an al-Qaeda attack. Frame from @SimNasr video

Due to the brutal nature of the footage, we will not publish videos of the bodies in the article, only links to the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Thus, the published video shows the bodies of 5 dead mercenaries and the fact that the car was converted into a vehicle with a machine gun turret installed. It was supposed to protect the convoy in case of an attack. As a result of the attack, the militants took small arms and mercenaries' equipment as trophies.

In particular, the militants seized 5 AK assault rifles, a 7.62 mm PC/PKM handgun and a 12.7 mm Khawad heavy machine gun.

Militants' trophies after the attack on the Wagner PMC convoy. Photo by @SimNasr

The Wagner PMC has been operating in Mali since 2021, after a new coup d'etat took place in the Republic of Mali in Africa, during which the military arrested the interim president Ba N'Dau and Prime Minister Moktar Wan and transported them to the Katia army military base near the capital Bamako. Since then, the foreign policy of the country's leaders has changed its vector and instead of international assistance led by France, they rely on Russia, in particular, in the same year Russia recognized Mali's request to send Russian mercenaries.

Since then, the Russian mercenaries, in addition to training the local military, have been directly involved in hostilities against local groups.

In the summer of 2024, in the north of Mali, in the self-proclaimed Azawad, separatists defeated a large Wagner unit and killed dozens of militants and several pieces of equipment.

Including armored vehicles.