Moscow, Jul 29 (BLAZETRENDS).- One month after its failed rebellion against the Kremlin, the Wagner Group has returned to its natural space, Africa. The mercenaries return to the continent, especially to the Sahel, where Russia is fighting with the US and France for control of its natural resources.
The head of the mercenary group, Yevgueni Prigozhin, confirmed this week to the local press the arrival of his men in the Central African Republic (CAR) to guarantee security during the constitutional referendum on Sunday.
Russian flags in Niger
Although Moscow condemned the military coup in Niger and called for the restoration of constitutional order, it escaped no one that in that country some of those who cheered the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum waved Russian flags and chanted pro-Wagner slogans.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recalled that Bazoum is a champion of democracy in the region and that his overthrow will cause Niger to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance and development aid.
In fact, the Nigerian delegation was one of the great absentees at the Russia-Africa summit that was held on Thursday and Friday in St. Petersburg, the hometown of Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As reported by the Russian press, Prigozhin would have met this week at a hotel he owned where the guests to the summit were staying with representatives of Niger, as well as the CAR and Mali, without the identity of the interlocutors being known.
Prigozhin already announced last week upon arriving at his new base in Belarus -as agreed after his uprising in Russia failed- that the Wagners would return to Africa shortly, since now they cannot continue fighting in Ukraine due to the Kremlin’s veto.
Prigozhin supports the coup
In turn, in another audio reproduced by Telegram channels linked to Wagner, Prigozhin openly supported the military coup in Niger, although he did not suggest having anything to do with the coup plot.
“What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the Nigerien people with the colonizers,” he commented.
He added that, thanks to the military coup, Nigeriens are finally freeing themselves from their shackles and the attempts of Western powers to impose their way of life on them and keep them “in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago.”
“The rest already depends on the people of Niger,” he added.
Later, he added that both Niger and the CAR and Mali, the countries along with Libya where Wagner has been most active, are “increasingly independent.”
Putin promises security in the Sahel
The image of the Russia-Africa summit plenary was worth a thousand words. Putin was sitting next to the world’s youngest head of state, Ibrahim Traore, the leader of Burkina Faso.
Dressed in military uniform, the captain who assumed power after a coup in September 2022 was highly critical of the geopolitical situation in Africa.
Along the same lines, Assimi Goita, also a soldier, Mali’s transitional president, thanked Putin for his support in strengthening the Armed Forces, which is now capable of defending its “territorial integrity”, which makes the country “absolutely independent and self-sufficient.” ”.
Russia has always “respected Mali’s sovereignty,” said Goita, whose country has been sanctioned these days by the US for its ties to Wagner.
Putin also met with Central African President Faustin Touadera on Friday, promising that Moscow will continue to strengthen its sovereignty and military potential in the face of the threat of terrorism.
“The forum has gone well and we will see the results in the near future,” said Prigozhin, who stressed that without Russian assistance, particularly in terms of security, “Africa cannot exist.”