Tuareg rebels in Mali shoot down Russian 'African Corps' helicopter and storm strategic city

Tuareg rebels in Mali have shot down a military helicopter believed to belong to Russia's Ministry of Defense 'African Corps' and launched a massive assault on the strategically important city of Anefis in the north of the country.

On July 5, videos appeared on social media showing the crash of a helicopter similar to a Mi-24 or Mi-35, as well as footage of armed men in civilian clothes near a burning fuselage. The Russian origin of the aircraft is indicated by the word 'danger' near the tail rotor. According to available data, the helicopter was likely hit by a 23mm ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun mounted on a pickup truck. All crew and troops on board were killed.

According to analysts, rebels from the 'Azawad Liberation Front' ambushed a convoy of the Russian 'African Corps' as it was leaving the city of Gao towards Anefis to reinforce defenses. During the fighting, the rebels destroyed several Russian military trucks.

In addition, rebels attacked positions of the Malian government army and Russian mercenaries in several areas of the country. Fighting is ongoing near the cities of Aguelhok and Gao in the north, Sévaré and Konna in the center, as well as near a prison in Kéniéroba south of the capital Bamako. The main target of the offensive was the city of Anefis, which is the last strategic stronghold for the Malian army and Russian fighters in the Kidal region after the rebel offensive in April.

A representative of the 'Azawad Liberation Front' claimed that the rebels had taken control of the city, but the Malian government army denies this, while representatives of the 'African Corps' state that they continue to hold positions in Anefis.

After the 2021 military coup, power in Mali was seized by a military junta led by Assimi Goïta. To maintain control, it brought in mercenaries from the Wagner Group, which after Prigozhin's rebellion were replaced by the Russian Ministry of Defense's 'African Corps'. In November 2024, Tuareg and Arab nationalist groups in northern Mali united into a military-political coalition called the 'Azawad Liberation Front' (FVA), which aims to create an independent state of Azawad. At the end of April 2026, rebels together with the jihadist group JNIM carried out a large-scale coordinated offensive, capturing the strategic city of Kidal and killing Mali's Defense Minister Sadio Camara.