Russia’s Wagner paramilitary said it would cease operations against Islamic extremists in Mali, although Moscow will retain a presence in the West African country.
Mali, along with other nations in the Sahel region, has for years struggled to contain insurgents — including a powerful al-Qaeda affiliate with as many as 6,000 fighters — that have threatened regional stability and caused thousands of deaths.
Wagner, used by the Kremlin to expand its influence in several countries, offers “regime survival” packages across the region in exchange for mining concessions that experts say exploit some of the world’s poorest nations.
Nonetheless, the Sahel remains the world’s terrorism epicenter, accounting for more than half of global terrorism deaths last year.
