Wagner Group: Inside the Russian mercenary machine in Africa
Mercenaries. While the Russian army is bogged down in a war with Ukraine, mercenary outfits like the Wagner Group – a quasi-private military company – are a placeholder for Moscow’s geopolitical interests in Africa. PHOTO | COURTESY
Mercenaries have been a fixture in Africa since the second half of the 20th century. They have been used to protect incumbent leaders or install new ones in conflict zones.
Their offering – guns for hire – has remained essentially the same for decades. However, they’ve recently undergone an evolution that forces countries to look more closely at their roles – which range from technical advisers to frontline combatants.
