Russian fighters confirm withdrawal from northern Mali city after separatist attacks

Ethnic Tuareg fighters say they are in control of Kidal following a weekend of nationwide attacks, alongside Islamist groups.

Malian troops and Russian mercenaries withdrew from Kidal following coordinated attacks by rebel and jihadi forces, with the Azawad Liberation Front declaring the city 'free'.

Russian mercenaries from Moscow's Africa Corps withdrew from Kidal under escort by the Tuareg-led rebels they had been deployed to fight.

The Russian Ministry of Defense’s Africa Corps units and Malian government troops withdrew from Kidal following a wave of coordinated insurgent attacks.

On April 25, 2026, Mali experienced an unprecedented and coordinated assault by the jihadist group JNIM, in alliance with the pro-independence Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (ALF).