As Wagner withdraws from Mali, Russia is not stepping away, but it’s reshaping its presence there. Under quiet pressure from Algeria, the mercenaries are being replaced by the Africa Corps—a more organized, state-run force that gives Moscow’s backing to Bamako a new kind of weight. For the Touareg leadership in the north, that shift has set off alarm bells. Wagner was brutal, but chaotic. This new force may be more capable—and harder to resist. Faced with that reality, some rebel commanders are now cautiously talking to jihadist groups like GSIM. It’s not an alliance, at least not yet. But in a region where loyalties are fragile and the threats keep multiplying, even a conversation says a lot.

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