The largest client of Russian mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private army in Africa became alarmed and turned to his adversary in the West for assistance just hours after Prigozhin rebelled against his nation’s senior military authorities.
In a letter that day, officials from the Central African Republic, home to about 1,500 of Prigozhin’s enigmatic Wagner Group mercenaries, asked to “rapidly” set up a meeting with a private U.S. security company to discuss cooperation.
The letter, which was dated June 23, 2023—the day Prigozhin began the armed uprising—sparked a number of secret discussions that resulted in an agreement with Bancroft Global Development and the country of central Africa. That incited retaliation from Russian mercenaries, as reported by twelve diplomats, residents, and observers.
The Central African Republic’s conflicts provide a glimpse into a bigger battle playing out across the continent as Moscow and Washington vie for influence.
Russian mercenaries have long been accused by locals and human rights organizations of stealing natural resources like minerals and lumber and of torturing and killing residents. They have used their success in quelling insurgents in this impoverished country as a blueprint for growth. Following Prigozhin’s uprising and his enigmatic death in an aircraft accident, the Russians are adjusting their strategy in Africa. The US, which has been mostly absent from the area for some time, is trying to stay in the area and impede Russian advancements while pressuring African nations to keep their distance from the mercenaries.
American officials claim they are attempting to change the narrative and hold Russia responsible for the anti-American feeling in the area.
Russia may gain more political and economic clout if the United States is unable to reestablish its position, according to Samuel Ramani of the defense and security think tank Royal United Services Institute. “There might be a cascading effect in other countries if Russia loses the Central African Republic, its flagship model on the continent.”
Russia has been replacing long-standing friends like France and the United States as the preferred security partner for an increasing number of governments in the area in recent years.
Wagner and other mercenaries have been employed by Moscow to expand its military collaboration aggressively, and since early 2017, they have operated in at least six nations. Their duties include guarding African leaders and, occasionally, providing support in the fight against extremists and rebels.
The Central African Republic has been in conflict since 2013, with a significant number of armed groups, including the Russian mercenary Wagner, executing around 300 civilians. The Russians have expanded to Burkina Faso and Niger and are refurbishing a military base near Bangui. The US has been pushing the country to find an alternative to Wagner, but little tangible progress has been made.
The US has used private military companies to reduce American “boots on the ground” in Africa, and companies like Bancroft Global Development have to play by Washington’s rules if they want future government work. Bancroft’s involvement in Central Africa has been shrouded in secrecy, with rumors of the US bringing its own Wagner to oust Russia.
Critics argue that Bancroft hasn’t contributed to any real eradication of terrorism, but Bancroft has done a great deal to damaging illegal armed groups and developing the capacity of the government to perform its national defense functions professionally. A lack of transparency about Bancroft’s operations has fostered an atmosphere of distrust in the country, with Wagner, a U.N. peacekeeping mission, and Rwandan troops all on the ground to try to quell violence.
(AP)
