BAMAKO — Two hostages who were held for nearly two years after being captured during a major jihadist attack in western Niger have been freed in a joint operation carried out by Russia’s Africa Corps military contingent operating in Mali, the Russian defence ministry confirmed on Tuesday.
The two men — identified as Oleg Greta, a Russian national, and a companion whose identity has not been officially released — were seized in March 2024 during a complex assault on a remote border region of Niger that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. They were subsequently moved across the border into Mali, where they were held by armed groups with ties to both JNIM, the al-Qaeda-linked movement that carried out the original attack, and other factions operating across the Sahel.
The Russian army said in a statement that its forces located the hostages in the Mopti region of central Mali and conducted a rescue operation in coordination with unspecified local partners. Both men were described as being in reasonable health and would be repatriated through diplomatic channels.
A Growing Russian Footprint
The release marks one of the highest-profile successes for Russia’s Africa Corps — the paramilitary unit that has expanded rapidly across the Sahel since its initial deployments to the Central African Republic in 2018. The group, believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, operates alongside or sometimes replaces French and other Western military missions that have been expelled or are in the process of withdrawing from the region.
Mali, which has undergone two coups since 2020, has become the central pillar of Russia’s military presence in West Africa. Africa Corps personnel have been embedded with the Malian armed forces and have participated directly in operations against jihadist groups, though their exact role and the nature of their legal status remain opaque.
The hostage rescue operation is likely to be cited by supporters of Russia’s Africa engagement as evidence of its growing utility as a security partner for embattled Sahel governments. It follows a series of incidents in which Russian forces have claimed to have rescued or protected individuals caught up in the region’s escalating insurgencies.
Sahel Security Deteriorates
The Sahel — the semi-arid belt stretching across the continent below the Sahara — has become one of the most dangerous regions in the world for both civilians and security forces. Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have expanded their reach significantly over the past five years, exploiting weak states, ethnic tensions and the withdrawal of Western counter-terrorism forces to deepen their control over vast rural areas.
Niger, which experienced its own coup in 2023, has seen a dramatic deterioration in security, particularly in the Tillaberi and Diffa regions where cross-border attacks have become near-daily occurrences. The hostage crisis that led to the capture of the two individuals now freed was one of the worst incidents in the current wave of violence, with more than 150 people killed in the initial attack.
International efforts to support Niger’s military have been complicated by the coup and the subsequent suspension of aid programmes by the United States and the European Union. Russia has moved to fill part of that vacuum, offering military assistance and training in exchange for access and influence.
Regional Reactions
The hostage release has drawn cautious reactions from regional analysts, who note that Russia’s interventions in the Sahel are driven primarily by strategic rather than humanitarian interests. While the rescue is welcome, they caution against reading it as a sign of broader stabilisation in a region where jihadist groups continue to expand their operations.
"The rescue is good news, but it doesn’t change the fundamental trajectory," said one West African security analyst who tracks regional armed groups. "The security situation across the Sahel has been deteriorating consistently, and Russia’s presence — however effective in specific operations — has not reversed that trend."
The freed hostages are expected to receive medical check-ups and debriefings before being allowed to travel home. The Russian foreign ministry said it was in contact with their families and thanked the Malian authorities for their assistance.