(Reuters) – Russia’s Wagner mercenary group is prepared to expand its presence in Africa, according to its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio interview published by an African news outlet earlier this week.
“We are not reducing our presence, in fact, we are ready to increase our various contingents,” Prigozhin informed Cameroon-based Afrique Media. The telephone interview was posted on YouTube, but has only been viewed 1,400 times as of late Friday.
While Reuters was unable to immediately verify the authenticity of the audio, a voice that appeared to be Prigozhin’s could be heard under a French translation.
During the interview, Prigozhin stated that Wagner was fulfilling all its obligations on the continent and was prepared to further enhance relations with African countries.
Fighting in support of Russia, Wagner has been involved in some of the most violent battles of the Ukrainian war. However, its future role was brought into question when Prigozhin staged a brief mutiny last month, and the Kremlin announced that he would be leaving Russia for Belarus, where some of his fighters have begun to train Belarusian forces.
However, this week, he was photographed in St Petersburg during a Russia-Africa summit, including alongside a journalist from Afrique Media.
Prigozhin confirmed to Afrique Media that a new rotation of Wagner forces had recently arrived in the Central African Republic before a constitutional referendum on July 30, which could potentially extend President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s term.
“New forces have arrived, and we control the territory of the republic,” he stated, without disclosing the size of the force.
Russian mercenaries, many of whom are associated with Wagner, intervened in 2018 on the side of the Central African Republic government to suppress a civil war that has been ongoing since 2012.
Wagner’s involvement in the Central African Republic, Mali, and other parts of Africa is a cause for concern for Western governments, including France and the United States. The US has accused the group of committing widespread atrocities and has imposed sanctions on it as a criminal organization.
Prigozhin denies these allegations, stating in the interview that all Wagner’s activities are lawful and beneficial to the countries where it operates and to their relations with Russia.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
