The future of agreements made between several African nations and the Wagner mercenary group, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is a problem for the respective governments of those nations.
On the basis of contracts negotiated directly with the relevant governments, Wagner worked in the Central African Republic (CAR) and other nations, according to Lavrov, who was speaking at a news conference on Friday.
He also said Russia’s defence ministry had long had “several hundred” military advisers working in the CAR.
Wagner mercenaries, known for their involvement in the Ukraine conflict, staged a brief mutiny last Saturday, seizing control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and marching towards Moscow before a deal ended their revolt. This incident has raised questions about the presence of Wagner operatives in the Central African Republic (CAR) and other parts of Africa, as well as Moscow’s level of engagement with the group’s activities on the continent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on Tuesday that Wagner was fully financed by the state, with approximately 86 billion rubles (around $940 million) being allocated to the group between May 2022 and May 2023.
In Mali, where military coups occurred in 2020 and 2021, the country is engaged in a long-standing battle against armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. The authorities in Mali have stated that the Russian forces present there are not Wagner mercenaries but rather trainers assisting local troops with equipment acquired from Russia.
Wagner mercenaries have faced accusations of human rights abuses, notably the March 2022 incident in Moura, central Mali, where local troops and suspected Russian fighters allegedly killed hundreds of civilians.
In neighboring Mauritania, thousands of Malians have sought refuge in the M’bera camp since 2021, according to United Nations officials managing the camp. The camp recorded nearly 7,000 new arrivals between March and April 2022 alone.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in February, described the deployment of Wagner troops in Africa as a support system for failing regimes that only brings suffering and misery.