Ibrahim Sidibé, also known as Ibrahim Touré or “Tory” a Malian soldier and Officer has in silence passed away, almost on the day since the battle of Tinzawatene.
Seen in two videos a year ago, he was taking part in plundering a shop in Azawad on the way to the battle of Tinzawatene with the Wagner mercenaries stealing from the Azawadian people.
What else they did there we don`t even want to know but we can surely imagine. These videos were found in the pockets of dead or captured Wagner mercenaries.
At the battle in Tinzawatene he was captured by the Azawadian forces, the former CSP-DPA, now the FLA, Azawad Liberation Front.
There he also figured in the next video, or if it was two different videos. In one he was forced to shout the word Azawad, and in the other he delivered a testimony saying that it was Wagner doing everything, looting and killing Tuareg civilians.
And by doing that he officially acknowledged that the Wagner mercenaries beheaded and killed innocent civilians.
As their war prisoner he was put to work to cook for the other prisoners. He survived the battle, serving his state, but for what?
Now a year later, and almost on the day of his capture, he dies in complete silence by a disease he had since a time, and without the junta ever cared about him, not even once, during the year that passed. He was according to reports, treated well by the FLA and according to International rules for war prisoners, but he died all alone without his family and passed in silence into the dust of the desert.
The junta cared more about releasing four Moroccans than making any efforts to have Ibrahim released. They did not even try, which shows how little they care. And after his death, not even a statement or press release, nothing.
The death of Ibrahim Sidbé is exposing a tragic reality – the neglect of the junta who apparently cares more about the release of the four Moroccans captured by the ISIS of the Sahel than one of their own senior soldiers. And what lies behind this shady deal with terrorists is not for us to write about but in this article this topic is discussed.
That in turn speaks volumes about how little the junta really seem to care about their soldiers – absolutely nothing. The only thing they apparently seem to care about is to stay in power, no matter the cost.
There´s another article in more detail about this to read on the page of Mehari Consulting, written by Mohamed AG Ahmedou, here is a short excerpt:
Sidibé’s death comes in a confusing context. In late July 2025, the junta organized a carefully staged campaign around the release of four Moroccan drivers held by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
The operation was presented as a “diplomatic triumph.” State television broadcast images, praise, and triumphant statements. However, according to several security sources, this release was obtained at the cost of a ransom of one billion CFA francs and the release of Dadi Ould Chouaib, a leading figure in Sahelian jihadism.
The question is simple: why is the Malian government deploying so many resources to negotiate the release of foreign nationals, while ostentatiously neglecting the fate of its own soldiers?
A final quote:
Chief Adjutant Ibrahim Sidibé was among the Malian and Russian hostages held by FLA.
He took part in the joint patrols between the Wagner group (currently under the banner of Africa -corps) and the terrorists Forces Armées Maliennes, during which massacres were carried out on Arab-Touareg and Fulani populations, women raped and abused, property looted and plundered.
He was captured on July 27, 2024 during the historic battle of Tinzawaten, accompanied by Russian mercenaries from Wagner. They are the only survivors of their convoy.
Since his capture, he had remained in captivity, but had been able to regularly send visual messages to inform his situation, until illness overcame him.
This is not about mourning his disappearance, but also reminding current and future prisoners that the ruling junta is not interested in their fate. They prefer to allocate millions to release terrorists, who are presented as mere Moroccan road drivers.
Rhissa Ag
Azawad Support Group
06-08-25