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Antony Blinken hits out on Russia and Wagner; Says he believes both are taking advantage of situation in Niger

August 10, 2023

(3 minutes read)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed Wagner, the Russian private army for taking advantage of the instability caused by the coup in Niger. The group of Russian mercenaries, he alleged, moved closer to neighbouring Mali. The US Secretary of State said in an interview with BBC that he did not believe Wagner – who initiated a failed rebellion attempt against Moscow in June – was behind the coup that ousted the president elected Mohamed Bazoum from office.

Blinken said that what was happening in Niger was not orchestrated by Wagner or Russia. It was a repetition of what was happening in neighboring countries. But Russia and Wagner are trying to take advantage of the situation. He lamented that wherever Wagner went death, destruction, and exploitation followed. In Africa, Wagner offers various services to create further dissension. In Mali and in the Central African Republic, Wagner protects the power in place, offers military training, and even legal advice to rewrite the mining code or the Constitution.

In exchange, Blinken asserted, the group practices predation and amazed local resources, in particular gold and other minerals. The whole of the central Sahel region could come under Russian influence through the Wagner group whose brutal terrorism has been clearly exposed in Ukraine, ousted President-elect Mohamed Bazoum had written in an article he has written for a newspaper.

The Wagner Group is a Russian state-funded private army. It has used the Russian armed forces’ infrastructure and clout to spread its wings. Among the many charges against the private army is its role in destabilizing Ukraine. It recruited prison inmates from Russia for frontline combat. By the end of 2022, its strength in Ukraine had grown from 1,000 to between 20,000 and 50,000. In 2023. Wagner is also alleged to be playing a role in internal disturbances in Mali, Burkina Faso etc,.

As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, Niger has become the latest country in the Sahel region to experience a coup after Mali and Burkina Faso. Several agencies and countries have imposed sanctions on Niger, particularly the ECOWAS bloc, in which it has been an active member before its suspension in the aftermath of the coup. Despite the threat and the announced military intervention by the ECOWAS, the Niger’s military junta remains diffident refusing to come back to civilian rule nor restoration of the deposed President.