International Bound

With Wagner stepping aside, the Africa Corps is moving in, bringing structure and legitimacy to Moscow’s support for Bamako. Touareg leaders, fearing a more efficient and state-backed force, have begun testing quiet understandings with jihadist factions like GSIM. It’s not a formal alliance, but a sign of growing desperation in a region where alliances shift quickly and survival often overrides ideology.

France once held a firm place in Algeria’s food supply chain, from wheat fields in Burgundy to cattle farms in the Auvergne. But over the past year, that connection has weakened. Quietly but steadily, Algeria has stopped importing key French agricultural products—first wheat, then young cattle—while looking elsewhere to meet its needs.

Russia has replaced the Wagner Group in Mali with its new Africa Corps, signaling a shift toward a more controlled and official military presence focused on training and intelligence. While the tactics may look different, Moscow’s long-term ambitions in the region remain very much the same—just better dressed.