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PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS BOLSTER RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN AFRICA



Issued on: 04/02/2022 - 02:10


Western nations have condemned the alleged arrival of Russian mercenaries in
Mali's capital Bamako, a claim denied by the junta that seized power in 2020
FLORENT VERGNES AFP/File
4 min

Paris (AFP) – Russia's geopolitical ambitions in Africa have in recent years
been backed by private military contractors, often described as belonging to the
"Wagner group" -- an entity with no known legal status.

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Most recently, Western nations have condemned the alleged arrival of Russian
mercenaries in Mali's capital Bamako, a claim denied by the junta that seized
power in 2020.

As relations with France worsen, the military rulers may be looking for ways to
make up for shrinking numbers of European troops fighting Mali's years-old
jihadist insurgency.

"Mercs (mercenaries) working in Africa is an established norm" thanks in part to
decades of operations by contractors from South Africa, said Jason Blazakis of
the New York-based Soufan Group think-tank.

"The Wagner folks are walking through a door that has long been open to their
ilk," he added.

No information is publicly available about the group's size or finances.

But around Africa, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in
Washington has found evidence since 2016 of Russian soldiers of fortune in
Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, the Central African Republic (CAR), Madagascar and
Mozambique.

Botswana, Burundi, Chad, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Congo-Brazzaville, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Zimbabwe are also on the
CSIS's list.

In Africa "there is a convergence of many states' interests, including China's,"
Alexey Mukhin of the Moscow-based Centre for Political Information told AFP.

"Every state has the right to defend its business assets," he added.


'HYSTERIA'

Wagner does not officially exist, with no company registration, tax returns or
organisational chart to be found.

When the EU wanted to sanction the group in 2020, it targeted Russian oligarch
Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin who is suspected of
running Wagner.

It imposed further sanctions in December last year when mercenaries' arrival in
Mali appeared certain -- drawing accusations of "hysteria" from Moscow.

Western experts say military contractors are embedded in Russia's official
forces like intelligence agencies and the army, providing plausible deniability
for Moscow.


Allies: Russian President Vladimir Putin with oligargh Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2010
Alexey DRUZHININ SPUTNIK/AFP/File

Their deployment to African countries aims to "enable Russia to... regain this
sphere of influence" that fell away with the collapse of the Soviet Union, said
CSIS researcher Catrina Doxsee.

The mercenaries' presence has been growing even faster since a 2019
Russia-Africa summit.

Moscow has been active "especially in what has traditionally been France's zone
of influence" in former colonies like CAR and Mali, said Djallil Lounnas, a
researcher at Morocco's Al Akhawayn university.

While military contractors sometimes shepherd Russian arms sales, the revenue
"really pales compared with the profit they are able to generate from mining
concessions and access to natural resources", Doxsee said.

That makes unstable countries with mineral or hydrocarbon wealth prime customers
-- such as in Syria where the mercenaries first became known to the wider
public.


NO QUESTIONS ASKED

Lounnas said that another advantage for clients is a lack of friction over human
rights and democracy that might come with Western partners.

"Russia has its interests. It doesn't ask questions," he added.

Reports of violence and abuse on the ground suggest that same latitude may
extend to the mercenaries themselves.

In the CAR, the United Nations is probing an alleged massacre during a joint
operation by government forces and Wagner fighters.

One military source told AFP that more than 50 people died, some in "summary
executions".


Russian mercenaries in Africa Cléa PÉCULIER AFP

On Thursday, the European Union said it would not resume military training in
the CAR -- suspended since mid-December -- unless the country's soldiers stop
working for Wagner.

Meanwhile the mercenaries' results do not always measure up to the hopes of the
governments that hire them.

In Libya, Russian mercenaries suffered heavy losses in Marshal Khalifa Haftar's
year-long attempt to conquer the capital Tripoli, which was ultimately
unsuccessful.

And in Mozambique, the Russians retreated in the face of Islamic State group
jihadists, ultimately losing out to South African competitors.

Although lacking language skills and experience with the terrain, Wagner "were
picked because they were the cheapest", Doxsee said.

"They didn't have what it took to succeed," she added, noting that "they've had
a fair few failures" across Africa.

Succeeding completely might actually harm the mercenaries' business model, which
thrives on unrest, conflict and crisis.

"If a country such as the CAR hires them to train forces, to help them in their
military efforts, it’s in their interest to accomplish that just well enough to
continue to be employed," Doxsee said.

"If they actually were to do it well enough to resolve the conflict, they would
no longer be needed".

© 2022 AFP




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