Sergeant Pena: Pro-AES accounts fabricated a false death in Mali

Herz — World Desk · 17 July 2026 at 13:37 · 30s summary · 4 min read

What we know

On July 7, 2026, Sergeant Pena, a French Legionnaire of Russian origin, died accidentally during military maneuvers in the Alps. The French military high command officially paid tribute to him, making the information public.

At the same time, between July 4 and 9, 2026, the Malian Army fought terrorist groups at Anéfis in northern Mali, with support from the Africa Corps—a Russian paramilitary organization that succeeded the Wagner Group and is more closely controlled by the Russian state.

On July 9, pro-AES accounts (the Sahel Alliance States, a confederation comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, founded in September 2023) published posts on X suggesting that Sergeant Pena might have died at Anéfis rather than in France.

On July 10, a photograph of a white soldier lying in the desert sand was shared by these accounts, presented as proof of the Legionnaire's death in Mali. The physical resemblance to Sergeant Pena's official portrait and his Russian origin were used as plausibility levers.

How the disinformation was debunked

Sahel specialists at RFI and France 24 identified the photographs as coming from the Battle of Tinzaouatène, which took place in northern Mali in July 2024. A reverse image search retrieved the same photograph in higher quality, identifying the individual as a Russian mercenary from the Wagner Group.

Final confirmation came from a six-minute propaganda video released in 2025 by the FLA (Azawad Liberation Front, a political and military organization in northern Mali founded in November 2024, claiming Azawad's independence or autonomy). The video showed the image of the body alongside the remains of other Russian fighters.

A military withdrawal that made the disinformation impossible

France withdrew all its troops from Mali in August 2022, ending its Barkhane operation in the country. No French soldiers were present at Anéfis during the July 2026 fighting.

Limited distribution

According to RFI, the disinformation remained confined to the usual Sahel propaganda accounts and garnered less than 50,000 views on X. Several users denounced the manipulation attempt in the comments.

A recurring practice

The same pro-AES accounts also spread false information about alleged French prisoners in Mali, again using archive photographs.

Timeline

1. August 2022
   France withdraws definitively from Mali, ending the Barkhane operation in the country.
2. Battle of Tinzaouatène (northern Mali): photographs of dead Russian mercenaries on the battlefield are taken, including the one that would later be misappropriated.