Stop Wagner

3/3 Despite tensions, #Russia plays a risky game : deepening ties in #Mali while trying to appease #Algeria. This fuels mistrust between Bamako and Algiers, making the Russia-Algeria-Mali triangle unstable and threatening regional security as Moscow juggles its complex interests.

2/3 #Wagner and #AfricaCorps’ brutal tactics in #Mali, plus poor oversight, harm Moscow’s credibility. The July 2024 Tinzaouatène defeat exposed border security gaps and weak coordination with Algiers, causing heavy Malian and Russian losses. Algeria firmly opposes these destabilizing groups.

🧵 1/3 #Algeria🇩🇿 - #Mali🇲🇱 : Russia’s balancing act grows risky

Supporting Mali’s junta via #Wagner and the #AfricaCorps sidelines Algiers, a key regional mediator and major Russian military client. Moscow tries to keep ties with Algeria amid rising Bamako-Algiers tensions.

According to UK MoD, the Africa Corps has replaced #Wagner in #Mali with 2 000 troops & 100+ heavy weapons, part of Russia’s push to formalize security ties. Wagner is out in Syria, Libya, Mali, but still active in #CAR (2 000 fighters) & #Belarus (300). For how long? That remains unclear.

3/3 In #Koumboli, #Wagner reportedly planted 19 explosives near homes & a church, violating international humanitarian law. Clashes with Azandé militias in Haut-Mbomou have forced mass displacement to the #DRC 🇨🇩. FACA-Wagner also accused of looting & NGO extortion.

2/3 Ex-Minister Adrien Poussou says #CAR President faces a dilemma : sign the #Russia deal and risk #Wagner backlash, or refuse and provoke Moscow. Between fear of betrayal and fear of pressure, the stakes are not just political, but potentially life-threatening.

🧵 1/3 #CAR 🇨🇫 delays signing Russia ’s 🇷🇺 binding deal to replace #Wagner with #AfricaCorps. Officially, it’s about the $15M price tag (per government spokesperson Maxime Balalu). Unofficially, political and personal tensions are also at play. A signature remains pending.

3/3 #Belarus has ramped up conscription, reservist drills, and anti-drone defense, part of a system-wide push led by Russian instructors. Though Zapad 2025 is labeled defensive, the presence of #Wagner vets and advanced #Russia tech signals a more assertive shift from 2021.

2/3 Since early 2024, #Wagner vets & Russian SOF have trained drone units and regular Belarusian troops. Though no longer named after Lukashenko’s 2024 criticism, they still lead rotations—also training foreign fighters from #Africa & the Middle East.

🧵1/3 Zapad 2025 drills in #Belarus🇧🇾 to showcase advanced drone warfare. Behind the scenes, ex - #Wagner mercenaries are leading the effort. A UAV combat & jamming center near Vitebsk, run by these “experienced instructors,” hints their role goes far beyond just drones.

A new military pact raises the question : could the #AfricaCorps soon establish a presence in #Togo🇹🇬? With about 30 Russian advisors, MI-35/MI-17 helicopters, and joint drills, ties with Moscow grow. No PMC presence confirmed yet, but #Russia’s Mali/CAR model suggests it’s plausible.

8/8 After Tinzaouaten, #Wagner lost men, commanders, and impact. The shift to #AfricaCorps changed nothing : same brutality, same isolation. Analysts call it a strategic failure : more violence, abuses (esp. vs. Fulani), delegitimization of pro-gov forces, a less stable Mali. AU & ICC urged to act.

7/8 Nearly 30 more died from forced disappearances in #Kourma, Belidanédji, Farana, Sikere & #Kobou. Torture in ex-military camps and terror videos on Telegram deepen the crisis. Civilians are alienated, jihadist narratives grow, and the countryside is emptying.

6/8 The toll is staggering : 130+ civilians killed by #Wagner / #AfricaCorps in #Mali, not counting 70 in the Abeïbara massacre or 34 in the Kobé ambush. Confirmed : 21 killed in Tinzaouaten, 65 Fulani herders in Sebabougou, and 22 executed in Diafarabé (May 2025).

5/8 Despite some wins in #Kidal and Mourdiah, #Wagner / #AfricaCorps failed to halt jihadist expansion (attacks reached Bamako’s outskirts) : e.g. raids and killings of Fulani civilians in Sikere, Kobou fueled radicalization. In June 2025, hundreds were tortured in ex-bases acc. to an investigation.

4/8 In Mar–Apr 2025, #Wagner forces executed 65 Fulani herders in Sebabougou. Forced disappearances followed in Kourma and Belidanédji. Meanwhile, Wagner-linked Telegram channels spread graphic terror videos. Legal experts urge the ICC to probe potential war crimes.

3/8 On Aug 25, 2024, a #Wagner drone strike killed 21 civilians in #Tinzaouaten, incl. 11 children. No fighters were targeted. This marked the start of indiscriminate violence : executions in Nara, Lerneb, Timbuktu & Dioura (Nov–Jan), and 34 civilians killed in a Kobé ambush in Feb 2025.

2/8 One year after Tinzaouaten, #Wagner's / #AfricaCorps credibility in #Mali is shattered. Promises of “stabilization” gave way to failure and fear, with over 130 civilians killed, torture, executions, village burnings, and propaganda. Security was promised, impunity delivered.

🧵1/8 One year since the #Tinzaouaten ambush (July 25–27, 2024) and the 84 #Wagner mercenaries killed by CSP / #Azawad, incl. top names like Elizarov & Fedyanin : the grim toll of Wagner and the #AfricaCorps, neither invincible nor reliable.

#Algeria🇩🇿 pushes back against #AfricaCorps in #Mali🇲🇱, warning foreign troops near its border are a threat. Bamako accuses Algiers of backing Tuareg separatists. This rift could unravel #Russia’ s🇷🇺 Sahel strategy, strain arms deals & possibly invite rivals like Turkey.

#Russia may soon shift to year-round military conscription, under a new bill introduced in the State Duma. While deployments would still occur during spring and fall, enlistment offices would operate continuously, handling exams and paperwork...

7/7 As the August deadline looms, pressure mounts. Wagner’s violent grip on mines, as seen in the July 17 Ndassima killings, shows what’s at stake. The transition from #Wagner to the #AfricaCorps is no mere reshuffle—it’s a dangerous power handover with real casualties.

6/7 The #AfricaCorps won’t run mines directly. #Moscow plans to delegate extraction to Russian mining firms, shifting from #Wagner’ s combat-finance ops to a more “official” military-business divide — or maintaining influence while distancing from Wagner’s warlord image. Still, resistance is real.

5/7 The diplomatic fallout is visible. #CAR’ s Defense Minister Claude Rameaux Bireau skipped Moscow’s May 9 celebrations. Tensions with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yevkurov are rising. #Russia now counts on Col. Sergey Orlov, its new defense attaché, to salvage a deteriorating relationship.

4/7 Dmitry Sytyi, #Wagner' s man in #Bangui and close advisor to Touadéra, is a key obstacle. His control of mine revenues and ties to armed groups give him leverage. His future remains uncertain, and Touadéra fears alienating a powerful local ally.

3/7 Despite Moscow’s pressure, Bangui hesitates. PR Touadéra is financially cornered and skeptical of the #AfricaCorps' effectiveness. #Wagner — embedded in military and mining sectors — still plays a key role, notably in disarmament talks. #Russia’ s promise of a cleaner alternative lacks trust.

2/7 The “additional protocol” extends far beyond troop deployment : counterterrorism ops, protection of key sites (esp. mines), military training, plus admin, medical & humanitarian services. It’s a bloated package raising serious questions about sustainability, transparency, and #CAR sovereignty.

🧵1/7 Moscow is tightening the screws on Bangui. #Russia now demands a binding agreement by end of August to deploy the #AfricaCorps in #CAR🇨🇫, replacing #Wagner.

Cost? $15M/month—40% of CAR’s 2025 budget. For a nation in chronic crisis, it’s financial coercion dressed as security aid.

Mali: Army, Wagner Group Disappear, Execute Fulani Civilians Mali’s armed forces and the allied Russia-backed Wagner Group have committed dozens of summary executions and enforced disappearances of ethnic Fulani men since January 2025.

#Mali: Army, #Wagner Group Disappear, Execute #Fulani Civilians
The AU should ramp up its engagement to help protect civilians from abuses by all warring parties, including by assisting in investigations of abuses and pressing for fair prosecutions, @hrw.org

www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...

Two ex - #Wagner mercenaries from Azerbaijan, Ramil Aliyev and Ismayil Hasanov, recruited via Prigozhin’s “Project-K”, are indicted in Baku for fighting in Ukraine. The move marks a legal and strategic shift : #Azerbaijan🇦🇿 now treats Wagner as a criminal group and signals a break with #Russia🇷🇺.