Russia Asks Africa To Redefine Their Relationship With Wagner Mercenaries

Russia has asked countries in Africa to redefine their relationship with Wagner Mercenary Group, in the wake of its disbandment by President Putin. Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson says it is up to African nations to decide whether they continue working with the Wagner Mercenary Group,

Maria Zakharova’s comments follow the failed mutiny by Wagner over the weekend against Russia’s President Vladimir Putin who went on to disband the group – though its fate in Africa remains unclear.

According to her, the African countries themselves, their leadership, their political leaders have turned to specialists, experts, instructors, signed contracts with Wagner mercenaries and invited them to their territory.

Thousands of Russian mercenaries have been deployed to the continent since 2018, mainly working in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali.

Wagner operates in roughly 30 countries, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and it faces numerous human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings. Its fighters are most influential in African countries where armed conflicts have forced leaders to turn to Moscow for help, such as Libya and Sudan.

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“The African leadership of these countries need them,” said Federica Saini Fasanotti, a senior Fellow at Brookings Institution’s Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology.

Still, some experts said the revolt against the Kremlin will force African countries reliant on Wagner to pay closer attention to how they engage with Russia, where Putin faces the gravest threat to his authority since coming to power more than two decades ago.

“Developments in Russia will likely render many African countries more cautious in their engagement with Russia moving forward,,” said Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused security consulting company Signal Risk.

Any unexpected turn of events domestically in Russia poses potential threats to African leaders who have become dependent on its foreign fighters to stay in power, such as those in Mali and the Central African Republic.

“Any withdrawal could readily be exploited by non-state groups challenging the authority of the government in these countries,” said Cummings.