Wagner PVC has finished in Africa: what this means for Russian policy - the media

Wagner PVC, which since 2021 have been in small, officially stated that the mission was fulfilled, and they are returning home after "fighting side by side with the Mali people" and "killed thousands of extremists and their commanders who have terrorized peaceful inhabitants. " But everything in this statement is wrong, NZZ notes. The militarized formations of Wagner PEC do not return home.

Most of the approximately 1000-2000 fighters are likely to act under a different name: the African Corps of the Russian Federation. What actually means the end of the mission of Wagner PEC in Mali: part of the reorganization, which probably goes more slowly than you would like the Russian government. The African Corps was established in early 2024 and subordinate directly to the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

Its creation was the result of a short rebellion of the founder of the Wagner PEC "Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Russian military leadership in June 2023. Two months later, he died in a plane crash, probably organized by the Kremlin. And his mercenaries had to go under the control of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Russia has significantly expanded its presence in Africa in recent years, especially in military plan. Small is the most important geopolitical theater.

In 2020 and 2021, military forces staged a coup in Mali, accusing the government of allowing the security situation to get out of control. Shortly afterwards, the coup broke with the former colonial state France and appealed to Russia. 2400 French soldiers were withdrawn, and various contingents of Wagner PEC arrived. It is reported that up to 2500 Russian mercenaries were in peak moments.

Although the PEC was already actively involved in the Central African Republic, protecting the president from the rebels and engaging in the trade of gold, diamonds and tropical wood, in Mali it was the first time when Wagner - which means the Russian government - united with one of the 2020s. Burkina-Faso, a neighboring country, also introduced into the country of Russian fighters in 2023. Niger, another state covered by a coup, also turned to Russia.

Sakhal's states are of geopolitical importance because they are the arena of the world's largest jihadist offensive. These countries are also attractive to Russia because of their historically close ties with France and other European countries. The rupture of the conspirators with the West became a great victory for Russia.

Allegedly, the mercenaries of Prigogine were a useful tool for the Kremlin, as they promoted the interests of Russia in Africa without the official responsibility of the Russian government-thus protecting it from any failure. However, with the uprising of Prigogine, this model began to fail. The African Corps had to replace mercenaries.

The idea, perhaps, was that several thousand Wagner fighters in Africa would be integrated into the African Corps - and thus no longer work for a formally private military company, but on the Russian army. This is really what is happening. But this process takes time. In the Mali and Central African Republic, two African countries, where Prigogine was the most, they fought against Tuaren and rebels. And suffered significant losses.

The African Corps expects that it will participate less in hostilities and focus more on the training of Mala soldiers. Thus, it will act similarly to Europeans and UN peacekeepers, who have been lost there, replacing the Russians. It seems to be concerned about the military. "The African Corps will not have such an impact as Wagner PEC. It will be more cumbersome and bureaucratic because it will act under the control of the Russian army," the military is said to be small journalists.

However, Russia seems to continue to strengthen the fire power of the Small Army. Bypassing European sanctions there were shipped vessels with artillery tools and tanks. The results of Russia's participation in small, as in the Sachel, are very ambiguous. Together with the army, the mercenaries of the Wagner PEC made some territorial success. For example, they reflected the city of Kidal in the northeast of the country, which was under the control of the Tuaree rebel rebels for almost ten years.

But the Small safety situation has not improved - in fact it has deteriorated significantly. This especially affects the civilian population. In March 2022, Mali soldiers and Russian militants executed more than 500 civilians in the city of Moora in the center of the country - because residents of the city allegedly cooperated with jihadists. The torture and theft of civilians is also reported. However, Wagner PEC has also suffered significant losses in Mali.