The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led rebel alliance, claimed responsibility for shooting down an African Corps Mi-24P attack helicopter on 5/7. This occurred during clashes around a military convoy near Gao city in northern Mali.

The FLA-released video shows a helicopter spinning as it falls, with gunmen later gathering around the burning wreckage on the ground. Visuals from the scene do not clearly show the helicopter's markings, preventing confirmation of its affiliation with either the African Corps or the Malian government army.

Moment believed to be an African Corps helicopter shot down in Mali on 5/7. Video: FLA.

This incident follows a new wave of attacks launched on 4/7 by the FLA and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) rebels, linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Their targets included key towns in northern and central Mali, as well as one of the country's largest prisons, located tens of kilometers south of the capital Bamako. Al Jazeera reported that the helicopter was moving from Gao city to Anefis town to reinforce defensive lines.

DD Geopolitics, an X account documenting Russian forces, released its own video on the same day. It showed African Corps drones and first-person view (FPV) drones attacking FLA and JNIM convoys. The account stated, "JNIM and its FLA allies launched an offensive targeting the towns of Gao, Anefis, and Agelhok. The African Corps and Malian armed forces repelled the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the rebels." Neither the African Corps nor Malian officials have commented on the rebels' claim.

African Corps drones attacking rebels in the Anefis area in a video posted on 5/7. Video: African Corps.

These recent attacks come more than two months after the JNIM-FLA coalition launched a large-scale operation, capturing the strategic town of Kidal and killing Mali's then-defense minister, Sadio Camara.

Rida Lyammouri, an expert at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) research institute in Morocco, suggested that JNIM and FLA are coordinating these attacks to "overwhelm the Malian army and the African Corps," thereby eroding the government's strength. Bakary Sambe, director of the Timbuktu Institute based in Senegal, noted that Mali's military government is struggling to maintain control, currently holding only the capital Bamako and a few other strategic areas across the territory.

General Assimi Goita, Mali's military government leader, assumed power after two coups in 2020 and 2021. Under Goita, the country distanced itself from France, its former colonial power, and shifted towards cooperation with Russian paramilitary forces.

The African Corps is an organization directly managed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. It was established to replace the Wagner Group's role in Africa after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin's unsuccessful rebellion in 6/2023. An estimated 70-80% of African Corps members are believed to have previously worked for Wagner.

Pham Giang (According to Defence Blog, Al Jazeera, AFP)