Wagner boss denies casualties in attack in central Mali

The head of Russia’s Wagner military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Wednesday denied that any of his fighters were among casualties in an extremist-claimed attack in central Mali.
The Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Sevare on Saturday, saying dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian “mercenaries” had been killed or wounded.
“I can say that, according to my information, there were absolutely no (Wagner) casualties in Sevare,” Prigozhin said on social media, in response to a question from AFP.
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“Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda and other organizations try to brag, but they’ve been weak for several years and are unable to attack anyone,” he said, referring to the GSIM’s Arab name, commonly transcribed as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Wagner’s presence has been reported in conflict zones including Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic, where it has been accused of abuses.
The Mali junta began working with what it calls Russian instructors from the Wagner group in 2022.
“On the terrorists’ side, from what I know, there are heavy losses. The Malian army has perfect control in Mali,” Prigozhin said.
Mali’s government announced that 10 civilians and three soldiers died in the attack, along with dozens of extremists.
The GSIM acknowledged the death of 15 of its fighters in the raid at Sevare.

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