Wagner Group - The African Mirror

Apr

2023

Russia’s private Wagner Group denies it is operating in Sudan

THE Russian private military Wagner Group denied it was operating in Sudan and said it had nothing to do with battles rocking the giant impoverished African state. Western diplomats in Khartoum said in March 2022 that Wagner was involved in illicit gold mining in Sudan, among other activities. Sudan denied this was the case. "Due to the large number of inquiries from various foreign media about Sudan, most of which are provocative, we consider it necessary to inform everyone that Wagner staff have not been in Sudan for more than two years," the group wrote on Telegram. Wagner had not had contacts…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Russia claims village on outskirts of Bakhmut in big push in east

WORLD

DAN PELESCHUK RUSSIA claimed to have captured a village just to the north of Bakhmut, a city it is trying to surround in a major push for what would be its biggest battlefield prize in Ukraine since last summer. A Belarusian volunteer fighting for Ukraine told Reuters from inside Bakhmut that Russia was shelling the city constantly and its troops were trying to encircle it. Fighting was underway building by building, the volunteer said. There was no immediate response from Kyiv to Moscow's claim about the village of Blahodatne, and Reuters was not immediately able to verify the situation there.…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Analysis: Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success

WORLD

ANDREW OSBORN IN the twilight of the Soviet Union, Yevgeny Prigozhin was languishing in prison for theft. Now as the founder of Russia's most powerful mercenary group, he is vying for Vladimir Putin's favour by claiming a rare battlefield win in Ukraine. His aim is to leverage the success that Wagner Group, his mercenary outfit, had this week in pushing Ukrainian forces out of the salt mining town of Soledar, a move that revives Russian plans to seize more of eastern Ukraine after multiple defeats. Russia claimed victory on Friday after Ukraine said its forces were holding on after a 'hot' night…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

France-Burkina in diplomatic tiff

NEWS

JOHN IRISH and TASSILO HUMMEL FRANCE continues to back its envoy in Burkina Faso despite a request by the Burkinabe government to replace him amid growing anti-French sentiment likely fuelled by Russian mercenaries, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. In December, the Ouagadougou government sent a letter requesting the departure of France's ambassador - a move the French government described as "not standard practice." "I would like to express my support and our support for our ambassador and for all the embassy staff, who are doing a remarkable job in conditions which, as you know, are difficult," Colonna told LCI TV, adding that…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

EU ends part of Mali training mission, fearing Russian interference, Borrell says

NEWS

THE European Union will halt part of its training of Mali's armed forces, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said, citing a lack of guarantees from Malian authorities that Russian military contractors would not interfere in the work. The decision is likely to add to international concern about the longevity of the U.N. peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) and the European Union's EUTM and EUCAP missions, after France and its allies began withdrawing from Mali earlier this year. "We have decided to suspend, to stop, certain formations of our training mission in Mali focused on the units of the armed forces of…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Mali asked private Russian military company for help’

NEWS

MICHELLE NICHOLS MALI has asked a private Russian military company to help it fight against insurgents, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said at the United Nations. Mali's year-old military junta is close to a deal to recruit the Russian private military contractors the Wagner Group, sources have told Reuters, triggering opposition from France, which has said it was "incompatible" with a continued French presence in the West African state. "They are combating terrorism, incidentally, and they have turned to a private military company from Russia in connection with the fact that, as I understand, France wants to significantly draw…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

French minister in Sahel amid talk of Russian hired guns for Mali

NEWS

FRANCE’S Armed Forces Minister has arrived in Niger as part of a two-day visit to allies in the Sahel region, where French-led military operations against Islamist militants are under threat from Mali's talks with Russian defence contractors. Diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters that Mali's year-old military junta is close to recruiting the Russian Wagner Group, and France has launched a diplomatic drive to thwart it, saying such an arrangement is "incompatible" with a continued French presence. West Africa's main political bloc, ECOWAS, has also expressed concern. But Mali's junta has dug in, noting that France has begun scaling…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

‘It’s our right to seek military help from anyone’

NEWS

MALI has the right to seek military support from whoever it wants, the prime minister said, after France and other foreign powers expressed alarm at a report that Bamako was approaching Russian mercenaries for assistance. Prime Minister Choguel Maiga did not confirm whether the government was in talks with any other party in his comments that were released by a Malian news site, but diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters Mali's government was close to a deal with a private Russian military contractor. The sources said Russia's the Wagner Group would supply mercenaries to train Mali's military and protect…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Germany, France worried about Mali plan for Russian mercenaries

NEWS

GERMANY has joined France in expressing concern about an agreement between Mali's military rulers and a Russian security company that would bring Russian mercenaries into the African country. Diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters that mercenaries hired by the Wagner Group would train the Malian military and provide protection for senior officials. The deal is close to being agreed on, they said, "We find this extremely worrying," a German foreign ministry spokesperson said. France's foreign minister on Tuesday criticised the plans, saying such a move was "incompatible" with the French military presence in its former colony. France is worried…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Russian mercenaries to be allowed into Mali

NEWS

JOHN IRISH and DAVID LEWIS A deal is close that would allow Russian mercenaries into Mali, extending Russian influence over security affairs in West Africa and triggering opposition from former colonial power France, seven diplomatic and security sources said. Paris has begun a diplomatic drive to prevent the military junta in Mali enacting the deal, which would permit Russian private military contractors, the Wagner Group, to operate in the former French colony, the sources said. A European source who tracks West Africa and a security source in the region said at least 1,000 mercenaries could be involved. Two other sources…