Rank #96 · Africa
Mali has been governed by a military junta since two coups in 2020 and 2021, and has pivoted sharply from French to Russian security partnerships. The Forces Armées du Mali (FAMA) operate alongside Russian Africa Corps (the rebranded Wagner Group) against JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) and ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara) across the country's vast north and centre. In January 2024 Mali joined Burkina Faso and Niger in withdrawing from ECOWAS to form the Alliance of Sahel States.
Mali's defence spending has risen sharply under the junta, with official budgets understating true costs because the Africa Corps contract — reportedly $180-200 million annually at its peak — is financed through off-budget mechanisms including gold concessions to Russian entities and direct transfers. The junta has deprioritised development spending in favour of security. French aid and Barkhane mission costs (which France bore) ended with the expulsion of French forces in 2022; Russia now provides the primary external security partner at Mali's direct cost. IMF programme conditionality has been suspended due to fiscal governance concerns.
FAMA fields approximately 21,000 active personnel in ground forces, a small air force (Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters, a few light aircraft), and limited territorial forces. The army is organised into territorial military regions covering north (Kidal, Gao, Timbuktu — contested), centre (Mopti), and south (Bamako, Sikasso, Koulikoro, Kayes). Africa Corps operatives — estimated at 1,000-2,000 — are embedded at the operational level and reportedly at special-forces and headquarters levels. FAMA-Africa Corps joint operations have been documented in Kidal, Ménaka, and Moura. The junta has attempted to expand FAMA through recruitment drives, with limited success in remote regions.
Mali has no domestic defence industry. All platforms, weapons, and ammunition are imported. Russia is now the primary supplier: Mi-8/17 transport and Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, armoured vehicles, and small arms. Chinese suppliers have provided light vehicles and communications. France previously supplied aircraft (Mirage F1s retired), vehicles, and training — all now terminated. The gold-for-security arrangement with Russia means some procurement is effectively barter. Arms embargo discussions at the UN Security Council stalled due to Russian veto power. Mali is completely import-dependent and has no meaningful maintenance infrastructure for Russian systems beyond what Africa Corps personnel provide.
Mali faces a severe jihadist insurgency across the north and centre. JNIM — an al-Qaeda affiliate led by Iyad Ag Ghaly — is the dominant armed group, controlling large rural areas and conducting complex attacks on military bases and civilian infrastructure. ISGS competes for territory in the tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Niger. Africa Corps and FAMA operations have been associated with documented mass-casualty atrocities against civilians: the Moura massacre (March 2022, ~500 killed) is the most documented. France withdrew Barkhane (5,000 troops) in 2022 after being expelled; MINUSMA (UN peacekeeping mission) withdrew in 2023 after junta request.
In January 2024, Mali formally withdrew from ECOWAS alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — a potential military and political bloc with Russian backing. MINUSMA completed withdrawal from Mali in December 2023. JNIM conducted a major multi-day assault on Bamako in September 2024 — the first attack on the capital in years — targeting the gendarmerie training school and military air base. Africa Corps has rebranded following Wagner leader Prigozhin's death; Russian state control of the group is more direct under the 2024-2025 restructuring. Mali severed relations with Ukraine in 2023 following Ukrainian statements on Sahel conflict involvement.
Africa Corps — the rebranded Wagner Group now under closer Russian Ministry of Defence oversight — provides combat support, training, and advisory services to FAMA. The group is estimated at 1,000-2,000 operatives embedded at operational and headquarters levels. Its presence is financed through a combination of direct payments and gold concession arrangements benefiting Russian entities.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — all junta-led states — withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2024 following years of ECOWAS pressure for transitions back to civilian rule and sanctions over junta governance. They formed the Alliance of Sahel States as an alternative regional bloc, with Russian backing providing a security alternative to Western frameworks.
France's Operation Barkhane, which deployed up to 5,000 troops to the Sahel, was expelled from Mali in early 2022 following the junta's demand. French forces withdrew completely by August 2022. The mission had operated since 2014 against Sahelian jihadist groups; its departure left a security vacuum that Africa Corps and FAMA have struggled to fill.
Partially. Official budget lines are published but off-budget Africa Corps contract costs — financed through gold concessions and opaque transfers — are not captured. SIPRI and IISS flag Mali figures as estimates with significant uncertainty.