Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
03-07-2023
TRIPOLI: Many observers in Western and Central Africa watched with piqued attention as the Wagner Group mutiny unfolded in Russia, curious about its significance on the mercenary force’s vast operations on the continent.
Since 2018 when Wagner arrived in Central African Republic (CAR) to fight off a rebel uprising, the armed group has expanded its footprint, later launching operations in Mali, Sudan and Libya. For African governments struggling to deal with escalating domestic insecurity, Wagner became a lifeline.
After the mercenaries helped CAR’s President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in 2018 against rebel forces, Russian became an official language taught in the country’s schools, and Wagner leaders became dignitaries in the capital Bangui.
In Mali, the military lost patience in a decade-long collaboration with former colonial master France in tackling insecurity from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) and signed up with Wagner instead but after last week’s attempted Wagner mutiny, a cloud is hovering over not only the armed group’s foreign activities, but also the bilateral relationships between Russia and African nations that employ the mercenary outfit.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that “several hundred servicemen” in CAR working as “instructors” at the behest of the government would continue their efforts.
Yabi Gilles, founder of West Africa Think Tank (WATHI), told media, the comments came as no surprise.
“The declaration of Lavrov was a clear indication of what was quite obvious. Wagner is not just a mercenary company. Wagner is a company that has been tolerated by the Russian government and has been acting in the interest of Russia, especially outside of the country,” Gilles said.
“For Mali and CAR, what is important for is to have the assurance that cooperation with Russia will continue.”
Military options also exist if Wagner is pulled out of the continent as other private military contractors have begun operating in Africa in recent years. (Int’l News Desk)
