Mali jihadist group JNIM claims to capture a fighter from Russia’s Wagner group

In Mali, a jihadist faction that is opposing the military junta has recently claimed that they have seized a soldier from the notorious Russian military organisation, Wagner. The Wagner fighter was apprehended earlier this month, by militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), when a battle had emerged in Ségou state, in the south of the nation, Daily Mail reported.

In a statement shared on social media, the JNIM declared, “In the first week of April, (we) captured a soldier of the Russian Wagner forces in the Segou region in central Mali”. 

The soldier was captured about a week after Wagner forces and regular Malian troops were condemned for massacring up to 300 African citizens during a four-day siege of Mora town.  

According to the Daily Mail report, Wagner is basically a private military firm that has ties with the Russian government and is suspected of carrying out crimes with the Russian government's consent, but without explicitly accusing Putin. It is worth noting that extrajudicial executions, torture, as well as rapes have all been attributed to Wagner forces in combat zones ranging from the Middle East to South America and Africa. 

 It is estimated that thousands of its troops are fighting in Ukraine. However, this is considered to be the first time that the Al-Qaeda-linked organisation and the largest jihadist network in northern Africa's Sahel area, JNIM has claimed the capture of a Wagner group warrior.  

The reigning military junta has invited Wagner soldiers to Mali

The reigning military junta, which had just broken out with France, is said to have invited Wagner soldiers to Mali in December 2021. Although, Mali officially rejects the Wagner group's existence in the country, claiming that the Russian soldiers in the area are the military instructors.  

In addition to this, Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted the existence of Russian military contractors in Mali while denying that they were deployed by his government, as has been the case in the past with the organisation. While there are no official figures, Western governments estimate there are currently more than 1,000 Wagner soldiers fighting alongside the Mali government, Daily Mail reported.  

Meanwhile, since 2013, Emmanuel Macron's administration has sent soldiers to assist the nation to protect itself, which is one of its former colonies. 

Furthermore, Mali is a highly unstable nation in northwestern Africa, wherein three military coups have taken place in the previous 10 years, two of which occurred in the nine months between 2020 and 2021. 

(Image: AP)