2023-10-29 18:05:00
Contents
The founder of the Russian Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been dead for two months. But the organization he created lives on.
The Wagner Group is a model of success for Russia in Africa. “Moscow has no interest in dismantling them,” said human rights lawyer and criminal lawyer Clarissa Rodio at a webinar hosted by the US think tank FPRI, which specializes in mercenary organizations: “The Kremlin would be giving up a lot of influence in Africa.”
Wagner is more than a mercenary force, says former high-ranking US Pentagon official and later ambassador Charles Ray: “Rather, it is at the same time a propaganda arm of the Russian leadership and a nested corporate conglomerate that trades African raw materials – diamonds, gold and many others – with great importance Exploiting profit.” There is now a battle going on behind the scenes for control of these companies.
Prigozhin is dead – Wagner lives on
Apparently Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has chosen his son Pavel as heir, says Clarissa Rodio. Oligarchs close to Putin will probably also benefit from the Wagner companies in the future. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left no doubt that Russia is sticking to its commitment to Africa with the help of the Wagner Group.
Legend: The Wagner Troupe continues to exist and still appears to be indispensable for numerous African regimes. It also remains important for Moscow – in order to strengthen Russian influence in Africa. Image: Wagner fighters in Mali, undated photo. Keystone/AP via French Army
For many years, the West overlooked how systematically Russia was rebuilding the former influence of the collapsed Soviet Union in Africa. This did not begin with the beginning of the Wagner group’s presence in 2017, but more than a decade earlier.
From Libya to Madagascar
There are now agreements on military cooperation with nineteen African states, not least with arms deliveries. The Wagner Group is directly represented in a dozen countries, from Libya to Madagascar.
After Prigozhin’s death, direct control of the Kremlin and the Russian security apparatus is likely to increase even further.
Although the Wagner fighters often commit serious war crimes with hundreds of deaths, in many places they are less unpopular than one would think. Officially they fight against jihadists, although it is often simply to defend dictatorial regimes. But the successful Russian disinformation campaigns obscure this.
The significance of the Wagner Group from an African perspective
Open box Close box
Legend: Samuel Burri, Africa correspondent for SRF SRF
Samuel Burri reports for SRF from Kenya’s capital Nairobi. He clarifies the most important questions about the Wagner Group’s work on the African continent.
SRF News: How much influence do the Wagner fighters have in Africa?
Samuel Burri: Your influence is sometimes overestimated and sometimes exaggerated. “Wagner” is an emotive word that is often used in the West. Recently in the Congo, for example, Eastern European security guards were compared to Wagner fighters, even though they have absolutely nothing in common with them. On the other hand, Wagner should not be underestimated. Because the force is extremely efficient for the Russian state. 1,000 to 2,000 men are enough to get an entire African country to side with Russia, for example in international institutions.
In how many countries are troops known to be active?
Currently only in four of Africa’s 54 countries. However, there are also economic activities by Wagner companies, for example in the raw materials sector. In the political sphere, for example, there are disinformation campaigns. If you add that up, you get a dozen or more African states with a Wagner presence.
How do the people of Africa feel about the fighters?
It is difficult to make a general statement here. The picture is very mixed. The fighters often come to a country in a delicate security situation. In Mali, shortly after the French withdrew, the Russians were seen as new partners and sources of hope in the fight against jihadists. The Wagner people have been active in the Central African Republic for longer than I have traveled to the country. People were also afraid of them. The militants have violently seized gold mines in the country and killed people seemingly indiscriminately. They are rough fellows that you would rather not meet in everyday life.
Did the Wagner people also have a positive impact in their missions?
Wagner militias can provide more security in certain situations. In the Central African Republic they helped defend the government four years ago when rebels marched on the capital. They repelled the rebels and it was even said at the time that the US embassy was being guarded by Russians. The population was also happy that the brutal rebels were driven out. A joint offensive by Wagner fighters and the national army against Tuareg rebels and jihadists is currently taking place in Mali. This can help to stabilize the state somewhat and can be positive, at least for the time being.
The interview was conducted by Ivana Pribakovic.
“After Prigozhin’s death, the direct control of the Kremlin and the Russian security apparatus is likely to increase,” said Clarissa Rodio. “On the other hand, it is not in Russia’s interest to be present in Africa with official troops, as the French and the UN peacekeepers were and to some extent still are. Thanks to Wagner, Moscow can distance itself from the violent excesses of the Wagner mercenaries.”
Anti-Western resentment in Africa
The success of Wagner’s presence has a lot to do with the fact that anti-Western rhetoric still prevails in Africa. Even two-thirds of a century after the independence of African states from the former colonial powers, African heads of state still blame the West for everything that goes wrong – and for what they themselves do wrong. According to Charles Ray, “the West can do very little against the Wagner group.”
More commitment, politically and economically, or more reliable support for African governments are mentioned as recipes for strengthening the West in Africa – regardless of whether they are more or less democratic. But the former doesn’t work quickly. And the latter is morally questionable.
1698606913
#Prigozhins #death #Wagner #Group #remains #indispensable #Russia #Africa #News