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The US State Department said that the failed Wagner Group rebellion in Russia has shown the risk posed by organizing mercenaries in African states that partner with them. The US spokesperson said that every time Wagner enters a country, death and destruction ensued
The US State Department said that the failed Wagner Group rebellion in Russia has shown the risk posed by organizing mercenaries in African states that partner with them. The US spokesperson said that every time Wagner enters a country, death and destruction ensued.
The Russian paramilitary group is increasingly active in Africa, particularly in Mali where the military junta employs these mercenaries, purportedly as Instructors. They were aligned with Russia since the deterioration of its relations with France, a former colonial power.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a brief armed mutiny recently that rocked Russia. Prigozhin’s forces seized several military sites in the strategic city of Rostov (southwest) and travelled hundreds of kilometers towards Moscow before the leader of Wagner ended his rebellion in exchange for immunity promised by the Kremlin for him and his men.
The UN in early May accused the Malian army and foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people in March 2022 during an anti-jihadist operation in Moura. Westerners, including the Americans, assure that these foreign fighters are members of Wagner.
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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, announced recently that Wagner’s men would continue to operate in Mali and the Central African Republic as instructors. Diplomatic circles are awaiting further news about Wagner and their movement. Their absence from territories in Africa, where they had a predominant presence and nexus with local administration is a matter of conjecture in diplomatic circles.
