#Russia has taken over #Wagner mercenary operations in #Africa, including #Mali, #Libya, #Burkina-Faso, #Central-African-Republic, and #Madagascar, with smaller forces in #Sudan, #Niger, and #Equatorial-Guinea, with the so-called “Africa Corps” (“Африканский корпус”) #politics
on 02026-04-26#news from Le Monde on #weaponry #drones: “From the base’s runway take off armed drones from Turkish manufacturer Baykar (at least six Bayraktar TB2 and two #Bayraktar Akinci, the superior model) and surveillance drones from the country’s National Intelligence Agency (ANR). Their mission: to track down and strike the jihadist groups that control large swathes of Burkina Faso's territory. Initiated by former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (overthrown by the 2022 putsch), the use of armed drones has been intensified by Captain Traoré. (...) The ruling militaries of #Mali, #Burkina-Faso and Niger, which broke away from France and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) at the end of 2023, aren’t just banking on drones to bolster their air capabilities: attack and troop transport helicopters, fighter jets, aircraft equipped with ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) capabilities... To acquire these aircraft, they are relying primarily on their Turkish partners (for drones), with whom the civilian government they overthrew was already cooperating, and Russians (for planes and helicopters). (...) According to various sources consulted by Le Monde and cross-referenced with the Military Balance register, a directory of military forces worldwide published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Malian army currently has eight Bayraktar TB2s, around 15 helicopters (Mi-35s, Mi-24s, Mi-17s, Mi-8s...), and some 15 L-39 Albatros aircraft. The Burkinabe army has at least six TB2s, two Akinci, a dozen helicopters (Mi-35, Mi-17, Mi-8...) and five light fighters (Super Tucano and Marchetti SF-260). The Nigerien army has six TB2s, some 10 helicopters (Mi-35, Mi-17, Gazelle...) and two Sukhoi Su-25s. (...) Working alongside the Malian army, #Wagner’s mercenaries are playing an active role in this aerial war. Among them are pilots, at the controls of the L-39 Albatros supplied by Moscow to the Malian air force. At the end of September, in the region of Tin Zaouatine, where they attempted a retaliatory attack for the assault they suffered two months earlier before turning back, CSP rebels came across drones with Russian-designed Zala Kub prowler ammunition (kamikaze drones).” Archive of <https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2024/11/20/turkish-drones-and-russian-planes-aerial-warfare-comes-to-west-africa_6733455_124.html>.
on 02025-06-17