Inside Mali: What now for the country that bet its security on Wagner?

As Mali fights Islamist militants and separatists, it has turned to Wagner mercenaries for security. But the group's person is present presumed dead, UN peacekeepers are leaving and Mali faces a crisis. The BBC's Feras Kilani travelled to its unsafe bluish godforsaken portion - the lone planetary writer to spell determination successful the past twelvemonth - to conscionable radical caught up the chaos.

It was precocious successful the evening erstwhile we acceptable up camp, lit a occurrence to navigator our meal and laid down our blankets to slumber nether the unfastened sky. Suddenly the soundlessness of the blistery godforsaken nighttime was breached by the roar of a motorbike.

Around america we heard a bid of clicks arsenic the equipped men successful our convoy cocked their rifles and instrumentality guns. We were with a radical of Tuareg separatists who told the antheral connected the motorbike to determination on.

As soon arsenic helium left, our hosts told america we had to permission too. Immediately. It was excessively risky to enactment enactment arsenic the antheral was a scout for a section radical linked to al-Qaeda.

We had been careful, swapping our jeans for accepted robes and Tuareg headscarves to blend in, but if helium realised foreigners were successful the campy helium could pb the militants to america and we could beryllium kidnapped.

We packed up arsenic rapidly arsenic we could and drove disconnected into the transportation achromatic without immoderate headlights oregon torches truthful that we couldn't beryllium followed.

This portion of bluish Mali is beyond authorities power and is tally by groups of Tuareg separatists and Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaeda - they don't precisely get on but they person reached a communal knowing to permission each different alone. But the hostility and fearfulness we experienced that nighttime reflects a deepening situation crossed the state arsenic it slides deeper into lawlessness and chaos.

The authorities has turned distant from planetary peacekeeping forces, relying connected Russia's Wagner radical for information instead. But present the mercenaries' notorious leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is believed to person died successful a level crash, leaving questions implicit operations present and fears that Mali is successful an adjacent much precarious position.

Further to the east, the Islamic State radical has established itself and is trying to summation the country it controls. We wanted to conscionable the civilians caught up successful the unit IS fighters person brought with them. So we drove much than 1,000km (650 miles) done the godforsaken to the metropolis of Kidal successful the eastbound of Mali. When we arrived, we saw camps wherever thousands of refugees are surviving aft fleeing their homes.

"Islamic State forced america to travel here," Fatima told us, sitting connected the level of a makeshift structure - a unsmooth portion of worldly propped up by a fewer branches. She is successful her 60s and this is present her home, with her girl and 2 of her grandchildren by her side.

Her hubby and son-in-law were killed erstwhile IS attacked the colony wherever they utilized to live.

"They killed each our men and burned each our nutrient and animals," she added. Others told america akin stories of however their supplies of grain, sheep and camels had been destroyed, leaving them with nothing. Many of the youngest children we saw had nary apparel oregon shoes.

Fatima, and what remains of her family, walked hundreds of kilometres to scope Kidal from her aged location successful Menaka authorities successful eastbound Mali.

As we had seen for ourselves, travelling crossed the godforsaken is tough. There are nary paved roads, conscionable unsmooth routes marked successful the soil by vehicles that person passed done before. The soil stretches arsenic acold arsenic you tin see, sometimes dotted with trees and shrubs.

There's not overmuch for radical successful Kidal, but astatine slightest they tin survive. "We recovered h2o and shelter, truthful we stayed," Fatima said. People successful these camps get immoderate basal assistance from section NGOs but determination isn't much.

We besides met Musa Ag Taher, 1 of the fewer men successful the camp. Islamic State fighters attacked his location too. "When IS entered the municipality I buried myself until they near and past I managed to flight with my family," helium said. He described however helium dug a shallow pit successful the crushed and covered himself with soil to hide. He managed to flight with his 4 children.

Though Kidal is safer than the areas Fatima and Musa near behind, determination are fears the concern is astir to get worse.

In 2012, the subject staged a coup, portion rebels and Islamist fighters took power of the north, declaring an autarkic authorities successful the region. A caller interim authorities asked French troops to travel and combat the Islamist extremists. A fewer months aft their accomplishment successful 2013, the UN sent an planetary unit called Minusma to support the peace.

The country's subject leaders seized powerfulness again successful 2020 - since past the junta has distanced itself from France, its erstwhile assemblage ruler, and French troops person been sent home.

In 2021 the authorities invited Wagner to Mali to assistance with information and soon the Russian mercenary radical volition beryllium the lone extracurricular unit providing subject support. The authorities has told the UN's 12,000 peacekeepers to permission - they are present successful the process of pulling out.

We visited a UN basal successful Kidal that is owed to adjacent successful November. Huge sandbags topped with coils of razor ligament had been acceptable up astir the entranceway for security. Beyond, we could spot radical successful bluish helmets and rows of achromatic vehicles with UN markings.

The information defender astatine the gross called idiosyncratic connected his vigor and 3 men appeared. They asked america to halt filming and explained that due to the fact that they were preparing to permission they wouldn't beryllium capable to springiness america an interview.

Local groups are disquieted that erstwhile these UN forces go, they volition permission a powerfulness vacuum with IS, militants affiliated to al-Qaeda and separatists each warring for control.

There are believed to beryllium astir 1,000 Wagner soldiers successful Mali - little than a tenth of the size of the UN unit they are replacing and determination are fears they volition beryllium adjacent little effectual astatine countering jihadist groups.

And earlier this year, the UN accused Wagner of committing atrocities alongside the Malian army, describing "alarming accounts of horrific executions, wide graves, acts of torture, rape and intersexual violence" successful the Mopti area. It besides described however Malian soldiers, overseen by Wagner fighters, killed astir 500 mostly unarmed civilians successful a village. The Malian authorities denied immoderate wrongdoing.

At a adjacent compound we met a radical of separatists from the Tuareg taste radical who power Kidal. They are disquieted that Mali's subject government, who power the southbound of the country, mightiness effort to prehend what is near of the UN basal erstwhile the planetary unit pulls out. He says this could pb to renewed fighting.

"If these camps are handed implicit by Minusma to the Malian army, Minusma volition beryllium liable for what happens next," Bilal Ag Sharif, the section Tuareg leader, told us.

"The Malian authorities volition besides beryllium liable due to the fact that it is demanding thing that is not its right, and we volition not judge it," helium added, making it wide his radical volition not springiness up power of the portion without a struggle.

As good arsenic providing security, the 12 UN bases crossed Mali besides enactment astir 10,000 section jobs. They employment translators, drivers, radical to administer nutrient and supply services specified arsenic thoroughfare lighting and immoderate precise basal healthcare.

"It volition permission these radical without immoderate enactment without immoderate hope, without immoderate root [of income] to provender their families," Sharif told us. He's disquieted Islamist militant groups volition measurement successful and benefit.

"This volition springiness extremist groups caller opportunities for recruitment," helium said.

In the exile campy we had seen rows of children huddled connected the crushed of a makeshift school.

A teacher deed their heads with a cane arsenic they recited verses from the Quran.

Their parents had been killed by IS and it was casual to spot however they could beryllium targeted and recruited by militant groups arsenic they turn up.

The information of the Wagner radical successful the portion has been questioned, however. The US authorities has accused it of moving golden and diamond mines successful different African countries, saying it is simply a "destabilising force", chiefly funny successful profiting from earthy resources.

A fewer days earlier the level clang successful Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared successful a video which suggested helium was successful Africa.

The BBC has not been capable to verify wherever the video was filmed, but successful it, Prigozhin said the radical was making Africa "more free" and that Wagner was exploring for minerals arsenic good arsenic warring Islamist militants and different criminals.

Just extracurricular Kidal, we visited 1 of Mali's galore golden processing plants. It's lone a tiny operation, with small dense machinery and overmuch of the panning and smelting is done by hand.

But with hundreds of sites similar this crossed the country, Mali manages to nutrient much than 60 tonnes of golden a year, making it 1 of Africa's apical 5 exporters of the precious metal.

Tuareg groups are disquieted that Wagner soldiers mightiness effort to prehend power of the section golden manufacture and sites similar this one. If they do, Sharif warns determination volition beryllium bloodshed.

The UN has warned that the menace from jihadist groups has accrued crossed Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso successful the past year.

All 3 countries person had subject coups, with civilian governments pushed retired of powerfulness successful Burkina Faso successful 2022 and successful Niger successful July this year.

And with Wagner's aboriginal present uncertain, it's unclear however overmuch Mali tin trust connected the radical for security. If the concern wrong the state deteriorates further, it could person a knock-on effect causing wider instability successful the region.