Founder of Russia’s private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stated in an interview with Afrique Media TV that his mercenaries intend to maintain their operations in African countries where they are currently deployed.
We continue to work in all the countries where we started or are now doing this work of co-operation and development,” he said in an interview published on the pro-Kremlin TV’s Facebook page.
“If the assistance of the Wagner Group is needed anywhere to combat gangs and terrorists and to protect the interests of the people of these countries, we are ready to begin immediately to fulfil this task after agreeing on the conditions.”
He added that “there was no, and there will be no reduction in our programmes in Africa”.
After rumors surfaced regarding the potential withdrawal of Wagner mercenaries from Mali and the Central African Republic, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company, addressed the speculation. His statements came in the aftermath of a brief mutiny he staged in Russia on 24 June.
It is worth noting that rights groups have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing human rights abuses in both Mali and the Central African Republic.