Wagner Group activities in Africa

Wagner Group mercenaries in Koundjili, Central African Republic, May 2019

The Wagner Group is a Russian state-funded[1] paramilitary organization, also described as a private military company (PMC) and as a network of mercenaries.[2][3] Since 2017 it has provided military support, security and protection for several governments in Africa.[4] In return, Russian and Wagner-linked companies have been given privileged access to those countries' natural resources, such as rights to gold and diamond mines, while the Russian military has been given access to strategic locations such as airbases and ports.[5] In the case of the Central African Republic, Bohumil Doboš of the Institute of Political Studies in Prague described Wagner's operation in that country as a neo-imperialist and neo-colonial kind of state capture.[6] The group has been blamed for human rights abuses and for killing civilians.

The Wagner Group has been active in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mozambique, among other African countries.

In 2024, the Wagner Group in Africa was merged into a new Africa Corps under the direct control of Russia's Ministry of Defense.[7]

  1. ^ "Wagner mutiny: Group fully funded by Russia, says Putin". BBC News. 27 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ Faulkner, Christopher (June 2022). Cruickshank, Paul; Hummel, Kristina (eds.). "Undermining Democracy and Exploiting Clients: The Wagner Group's Nefarious Activities in Africa" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 15 (6). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 28–37. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  3. ^ "What is the Wagner Group, Russia's mercenary organisation?". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 16 March 2022. "From a legal perspective, Wagner doesn't exist," says Sorcha MacLeod
  4. ^ Rampe, William. "What Is Russia's Wagner Group Doing in Africa?". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. ^ "How Russia's Wagner Group funds its role in Putin's Ukraine war by plundering Africa's resources". CBS News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. ^ Doboš, Bohumil; Purton, Alexander (2024). "Proxy Neo-colonialism? The Case of Wagner Group in the Central African Republic". Insight on Africa. 16 (1): 7–21.
  7. ^ "More control, less deniability: what next for Russia in Africa after Wagner?". The Guardian. 21 May 2024.