Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024)

Prelude On 20 July, a convoy of nearly 20 vehicles carrying FAMa soldiers and Wagner mercenaries engaged in a series of search operations in northern Mali, mainly looking for Tuareg rebels who held territory in the strongholds of Inafarak and Tinzaouten. According to the Wagner Group, fighting began on 22 July and involved its 13th Storm Brigade. Regrouping and subsequent battle Both sides were forced to retreat due to a dust storm in the area, and Algerian border forces increased their presence in the area. The Wagner Group said that this allowed the rebels to regroup and increase their numbers to over 1,000, FAMa said that two of its soldiers were killed and ten others were injured in a rebel attack on 26 July, while 20 rebels were also killed and several vehicles were disabled. The CSP also claimed that they damaged a helicopter carrying wounded Wagner personnel, causing it to crash in Kidal. On 27 July, the CSP claimed victory in the battle, saying that it defeated and "annihilated" another Malian battalion supported by Wagner mercenaries, and the few survivors fled or surrendered and were taken prisoner. On the same day, JNIM conducted an ambush on a convoy carrying Malian and Wagner mercenaries who attempted to retreat from the commune near the Tin-Gamira mountains. According to security sources, CSP forces also partook in the ambush. This ambush by JNIM was commanded by Sidane Ag Hita, a senior commander within the group, and Abderahmane Zaza, the JNIM commander for the Tin-Essako Cercle. A spokesperson for the rebel group said that CSP fighters took control of the commune and territory further south in Kidal Region. Ukrainian involvement On 29 July, the Kyiv Post reported that the rebels displayed a Ukrainian flag in a picture after defeating the Wagner Group in the commune, indicating their support for Ukraine. However BBC Verify debunked the report, saying that the picture was taken from a video from June, where no Ukrainian flag was shown. However, CSP Colonel Hamad-Rhissa denied any Ukrainian help or intervention. == Casualties ==

The number of Russians killed in the battle is unclear. The Wagner Group confirmed that it suffered heavy losses during the fighting, but did not give an exact death toll. It confirmed that commander Sergei Shevchenko was killed in combat. A former United Nations employee in Kidal said that at least 15 Wagner mercenaries were killed or captured during the battle. A former Wagner Group mercenary told BBC News Russian that at least 82 Russians died in the battle. Russian sources confirmed that Nikita Fedyanin was among the dead and uploaded photos purportedly of his body on social media. He was an administrator of the Wagner-linked Grey Zone Telegram channel, which has over 500,000 subscribers. Some Russian Telegram channels reported the death of Anton Yelizarov, a commander who led Wagner operations in Soledar and Bakhmut during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Russian war correspondent said that he was captured by the rebels and exchanged, however his actual fate is unknown. JNIM claimed that 50 mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers were killed in their ambush on 27 July, after they attacked a convoy with powerful improvised explosive devices. == Aftermath ==

Impact on the Wagner Group The Institute for the Study of War cited Russian military bloggers who wrote that the Russian Ministry of Defense "gloated" over Wagner's losses in Mali and suggested that Russia would use the defeat to justify ending the deployment of mercenaries to the Sahel region and replace them with units of its Africa Corps. On 1 August, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov pledged to continue economically and militarily supporting Mali's junta, without mentioning the events that occurred during the battle. Retaliatory attacks On 31 July, Mali and Burkina Faso carried out joint airstrikes in the area of Tinzaouaten. FAMa said that the airstrikes targeted "a coalition of terrorists" and important targets such as caches, logistical positions and vehicles, while urging civilians to stay away. CSP meanwhile condemned the strikes and said that the Burkinabe drone attack killed over 50 migrant workers at gold mines who came from Chad, Niger, and Sudan. Diplomatic fallout On 4 August, Mali broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine with immediate effect, after a senior Ukrainian official, according to Bamako, admitted Kyiv's "involvement" in this attack. Ukraine denied involvement in the attack and condemned the severance, calling the decision "short-sighted and hasty". In response, Sweden canceled their humanitarian aid package to Mali, stating that "You can't support Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and at the same time receive several hundred million kronor each year in development aid." In response, Mali broke off comertial relations with Sweden and expelled their ambassador Kristina Kühnel. The Foreign Ministry of Senegal summoned Ukrainian ambassador Yurii Pyvovarov over a video he allegedly posted on the Ukrainian embassy's Facebook page in which he supported the "terrorist attack" in Mali. ECOWAS expressed concern towards the deteriorating situation in Mali following the battle and condemned the ambush. On 31 August 2024, Mali denounced Algeria to the UN and accused it of spreading "terrorist propaganda" after Algerian representative to the UN Ammar Benjamaa urged international accountability for the perpetrators of a drone strike in Tinzaouaten that killed 20 civilians. == See also ==