Another Russian paramilitary is taking the place of Wagner, a dreaded Russian mercenary force that is infamous for organizing a failed insurrection against Moscow and is charged with committing grave crimes against people in Africa.
The Russian government-funded Wagner, which Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed for its “courage and heroism” in 2023, has long represented Moscow’s military capabilities in the Sahel, a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa that stretches from Senegal to Sudan.
However, it appears the Kremlin wants a regulated, but unofficial, army to replace Wagner’s departure from large areas of the region plagued by violent revolt, extreme insurgency, and frequent coups.
The Kremlin has “concluded military-technical cooperation agreements with more than 40 African countries, to which we supply a wide range of weapons and equipment,” Putin disclosed during a 2023 Russia-Africa Summit.
As anti-Western sentiments spread throughout the Sahel, the Kremlin is partially stepping in to replace Western troops that were driven out by a number of Sahelian administrations between 2022 and this year.
Russia is now a sought-after security partner both inside and outside the Sahel at a time when the West has mostly shifted its focus elsewhere, from conflicts with China to hostilities in the Middle East and Ukraine.
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