The open confrontation between the Kremlin and Wagner’s boss, Yevgueni Prigozhin, leaves the continuity of the operations of the Russian mercenary company in the air.
Although the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, assured yesterday that Wagner will continue his activities in Mali and the Central African Republic, he did not say anything about the rest of the operations of this group of soldiers of fortune, which operates mainly in Africa, but also in Syria and, of course, in Ukraine.
Lavrov affirmed that the work of the members of the private company as “instructors” and to “guarantee the safety of their leaders” in those two countries “will continue.” “There have been many calls to President Putin to express words of support,” Lavrov said, referring to some of the leaders of countries where Wagner operates. “With partners and friends, no (nothing changes); As for the other (countries), frankly, I don’t care. Relations with the West are in tatters, so an episode more or less…”, the minister released.
In Mali, Wagner’s soldiers are on the front line of fire, although the government denies this and only acknowledges that there are “Russian instructors.”
And in the Central African Republic, among other activities, a Wagner executive directs the security of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. In February, the UN office in the country accused the Central African army and Wagner’s members of violating human rights and the EU later announced new sanctions against Wagner, targeting his senior officials in the Central African Republic.
For the Western powers, Wagner is an instrument of Russian influence aimed at promoting the interests of Moscow to compete with the European ones. The armed group is also accused of committing abuses wherever it is deployed and looting natural resources.
Analysts do not conceive of an agreement between Prigozhin and Putin to stop the insurrection without defining the future of Wagner’s activities in third countries. The mercenary company relies heavily on the Russian Defense Ministry, which supplies troops, equipment and weapons to its theaters of activity. And Moscow needs Wagner to control these countries, accessing their natural resources and preventing Western influence on them. The company provides significant revenue by bringing in “gold and minerals from Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mali, which Putin needs to keep his economy on life support,” a European military source told Afp.
However, Lavrov did not refer to Wagner’s continuation in Syria, where mercenaries guard oil wells alongside regular Russian soldiers. Nor to the other countries in Africa where Prigozhin’s men also operate, such as Libya, Sudan and Mozambique.
