Mali Military Forces 🇲🇱

Strategic Position

Mali's strategic position is defined by its role as the epicentre of a widening jihadist insurgency in the Sahel. The state's authority is contested, with large swathes of its territory, particularly in the north and centre, under the de facto control of militant Islamist groups. Following military coups in 2020 and 2021, Mali's ruling junta has presided over a significant geopolitical realignment, shifting away from long-standing security partnerships with France and other European nations. This culminated in the withdrawal of the French-led Operation Barkhane and the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA. Concurrently, the junta has forged a close strategic alliance with Russia, leading to the deployment of the Africa Corps (formerly the Wagner Group) to support the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa). This pivot has deepened Mali's international isolation within West Africa, leading to sanctions from ECOWAS, even as it pursues a new security axis with neighbouring juntas in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Military Forces

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) are structured into an Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, and a National Guard. The military has undergone significant reorganization to improve its response to the insurgency, including the use of French-style combined arms tactical groups (GTAs) for operational flexibility. The Army's ground forces are composed of motorized and armoured infantry regiments, supported by several artillery battalions.

Equipment inventories are a mix of legacy Soviet-era platforms and more recent acquisitions from diverse suppliers. While older tanks like the T-55 and T-34 remain, the focus of recent procurement has been on mobility and survivability against IEDs. This includes a variety of MRAPs and infantry mobility vehicles sourced from China, Turkey, the UAE, and Russia. The Air Force operates a small fleet, which has been bolstered with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci combat drones, enhancing surveillance and strike capabilities. The new partnership with Moscow has led to significant deliveries of Russian hardware, including advanced tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and combat helicopters, aiming to increase the FAMa's conventional firepower. Despite this, the force continues to grapple with endemic corruption, which affects operational readiness and procurement.

Strategic Trends

The foremost strategic trend is Mali's deepening security dependency on Russia. The presence of the Africa Corps and the influx of Russian military equipment represent a fundamental shift in its foreign policy, aimed at achieving "military independence" from the West. This collaboration is enabling more aggressive FAMa operations, but also brings allegations of significant human rights abuses. A second major trend is the government's ambitious plan to establish a domestic defense industry by 2025, with Russian and Chinese assistance, to assemble vehicles and produce ammunition. This initiative, however, faces significant economic and practical hurdles in a country with high poverty levels and weak industrial capacity. Finally, the security situation is deteriorating and expanding, with militant groups now operating in southern Mali, threatening areas previously considered stable and demonstrating greater coordination and reach. Despite the junta's claims of military progress, the state's collapse remains a distinct possibility as violence spreads and it becomes more alienated from regional partners.