The Wagner Group in Africa
Updated: Oct 3
You may already be familiar with their war crimes in Ukraine, but the Kremlin backed private military company, Wagner Group, has been operating in Africa for even longer. According to the U.S. State Department, they have been deployed in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 2018, and Mali since 2021. They are also deployed in Sudan and Libya. "The Kremlin has earned more than $2.5 billion from trade in African gold since Vladimir Putin launched his full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022." (Berlin, Jessica) The Kremlin has developed a system of shell companies, and smuggling routes to avoid sanctions, and fund their war in Ukraine. Wagner claims they are helping fight terrorism and training soldiers, but terrorist attacks are increasing in many African nations.
"Contrary to Russia’s claim, the Wagner Group has not been effective in countering terrorism in Mali since first deploying in December 2021. The UN Panel of Experts for Mali reported in August 2023 that ISIS-Sahel almost doubled its territorial control in Mali in less than a year. Wagner Group has failed to make Mali safer, with 2022 being the deadliest year for civilians in Mali since the current conflict broke out in 2012." (Global Engagement)
In CAR, Wagner mercenaries protect President Faustin-Archange Toudéra. In return, the PMC gets contracts to mine gold. "The story Wagner spins is that the mercenaries are there to train CAR soldiers and help them crush rebel groups that want to overthrow the president. The reality is that the Wagner Group has captured the country so completely, that it can act with impunity, and it stands accused of using horrific violence to ensure there's no competition for its revenue stream from local gold merchants." (Carter, Sarah)
The town of Bambari, CAR is home to many artisanal gold mines. In February, 2021, Wagner and CAR government soldiers attacked the town, killing at least 100 people. Many were killed inside the local mosque. CBS reported that one survivor, whose brother was murdered, and two sisters were raped said, "What has my family ever done to Vladimir Putin? When is the international community going to remove Wagner from our land?"
In Sudan, people have reported the murder of dozens of artisanal gold miners, and looting of the mines by Wagner gunman. In Libya, Wagner created social media disinformation campaigns in support of political figures "whom the Kremlin believed could become future clients." (Global Engagement)
According to the The Wall Street Journal, Wagner isn't the only PMC operating on Russia's behalf in Africa. Two additional companies, both run by oligarch's close to Putin, are operating on the continent. They are PMC Convoy, and PMC Redut. Many soldiers move back and forth between these three companies.
While the west cannot be considered innocent in its dealings with African countries over the decades, these alliances with Russian PMCs are not a step forward for the people of Africa. The PMCs are hired by a host nation to suppress political opposition. This is followed by the ever popular disinformation campaign, censorship and violent attacks on civilians. All of this works to further destabilize the host nation, and thereby make the government more dependent upon the PMC. Its akin to the vampire that you must invite in before he can enter. For a deeper dive, explore the Reading List below.
The offices of Private Military Company Wagner in St. Petersburg, Russia, 2022.
Photo CREDIT | Алексей Кочев - stock.adobe.com
Reading List
Berlin, Jessica, et al, "The Blood Gold Report: How the Kremlin is using Wagner to launder billions in African gold", 21 Democracy, https://bloodgoldreport.com/, Accessed 2 October 2024.
Carter, Sarah and Patta, Debora, "Russia's Wagner Group accused of using rape and mass-murder to control an African gold mining town," CBS News, 25 May 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20231013141206/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-wagner-group-central-african-republic-bambari-massacre-rape-mass-murder/, Accessed 30 September 2024
Global Engagement Center, "The Wagner Group’s Atrocities in Africa: Lies and Truth," U.S. Department of State, 8 February 2024, https://www.state.gov/the-wagner-groups-atrocities-in-africa-lies-and-truth/, Accessed 30 September 2024.
"How Russia is Restructuring Wagner's Africa Operations," Wall Street Journal, January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaMXUUiWgbU, Accessed 30 September 2024.
Inwood, Joe, and Tacchi, Jake, "Wagner in Africa: How the Russian mercenary group has rebranded," BBC, 20 February 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68322230, Accessed 30 September 2024.
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