What is Russia’s Wagner Group doing in Sudan? Why is Vladimir Putin’s shadow army pushing its way into Africa?

It’s been 10 days since fighting broke out in Sudan. In these 10 days, 413 people have died, according to World Health Organization estimates, with the actual toll expected to be much higher. Soldiers are occupying civilians’ homes in Sudan and most the country’s hospitals have run out of basic supplies. To a lay man this conflict seems to be a fight for power between the Sudanese army led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces(RSF), led by Lt Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo – also known as Hemedti. But there’s a figure lurking in the shadows pushing this war forward – the Wagner Group, the Russian band of mercenaries run by Vladimir Putin’s close aide, Yevgeny Prigozhin . We take a closer look at what this Russian group of mercenaries is dosing in Sudan and their growing influence across the African continent. Wagner Group in Sudan Vladimir Putin’s shadow army, the Wagner Grou p, made up of former military men and former convicts has made a name for itself by showcasing exceptional brutality and systemic human rights violations in the Russia-Ukraine war. According to US officials, the Wagner Group has offered weapons to the paramilitaries fighting for control of Sudan. In a New York Times report, sources were quoted as saying that the mercenary group was actually intent on fuelling the fighting between the two military factions and offered powerful weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to Dagalo’s paramilitary force. A similar claim was reported by the Wall Street Journal, quoting US officials. That report stated that the Wagner Group had offered to send shoulder-fired Manpad anti-aircraft missiles to the RSF in Sudan. **Also read: Sudan Conflict: The fight between rival generals for the control of the nation, explained** However, a person close to the leader of the RSF, Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has been quoted as saying that he had declined the offer of weapons for now, to avoid antagonising the United States government. [caption id=“attachment_12497812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan. Since the conflict began 10 days ago, 413 people have died. Reuters[/caption] The current fighting in Sudan is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Wagner Group’s presence in the African nation. Inside Sudan, Wagner has previously provided equipment and training to the security forces, advised government leaders and conducted information operations, according to a leaked US intelligence document seen by The Washington Post. In 2021, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel published images featuring an unnamed top Wagner commander awarding Sudanese soldiers memorabilia at a ceremony held two years earlier. A year later, it also showed a video of Wagner mercenaries conducting parachute-landing exercises for Sudanese forces. [caption id=“attachment_12497792” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] An advertising screen, which promotes to join Wagner private mercenary group, is on display on the facade of a building in Moscow, Russia. A slogan on the screen reads: “Join the team of victors!” Reuters[/caption] But Wagner forces aren’t engaged in the current fighting in Sudan. Samuel Ramani, a Russia watcher and tutor of international relations at the University of Oxford, believes Wagner is keeping its powder dry in Sudan. “I would say they are sitting in a more defensive position; they are not getting a green light from the Kremlin to play a more active role, they are probably staying put for now,” he told The Independent. “Obviously if there is civil war and Prigozhin’s mining is threatened, we will see a more active military role.” The mercenaries first made their presence felt in Sudan during the rule of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was forced from power in 2019 during large-scale protests. It was in 2017 that al-Bashir, fearing his rule was on precarious grounds, travelled to Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin. It was in this meeting that al-Bashir pitched Sudan as Russia’s “gateway to Africa” in return for support. A short time later, Meroe Gold, a new mining company owned by the Russian company M Invest, began bringing Russian experts into Sudan, Africa’s third-largest producer of gold. After al-Bashir was ousted from power, Wagner’s Prigozhin tried to align himself with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. However, the relationship deteriorated after the 2019 Khartoum massacre when Sudanese security services violently dispersed a sit-in, pushing the Wagner Group back into a “guardianship” role protecting its mining interests. Apart from the gold mining deals, there was also an agreement for Russia to set up a naval base at Port Sudan on the Red Sea. In recent times, the Wagner group has formed a relationship with the RSF and its commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. This relationship came into focus after Dagalo flew to Moscow a day after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Wagner Group in other African countries And it’s not just Sudan. Wagner band of mercenaries have made their presence felt across the wide landscape of the continent. A Wall Street Journal report reveals that there’s an estimated 5,000 Wagner men across Africa – almost as large as the US’ 6,000 troops and support personnel on the continent. It is said that there’s 1,890 so-called “Russian instructors” supporting government troops in the ongoing civil war in Central African Republic. In Libya, up to 1,200 Wagner mercenaries are believed to be fighting on the side of rebel leader Khalifa Hifter. In Mali, the pro-Russian, anti-Western military junta has also brought hundreds of Wagner fighters into the country. [caption id=“attachment_12497842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] But experts say Wagner’s presence in Africa goes way beyond this. Julia Stanyard, a senior analyst with the non-government organisation Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), in a report reveals that Wagner has “engaged politically in a greater number of countries in Africa than it has militarily”. In the recent report that she co-published, she writes that Wagner has the ears of African leaders, interferes with elections and runs anti-Western, pro-Russian disinformation campaigns. Stanyard goes as far as calling it a “political entity” on the continent. **Also read: Could Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin be a real threat to Vladimir Putin?** Apart from politically, economically and militarily, Wagner has also been pushing a pro-Russian propaganda through the media. In fact, over the past year, a flood of pro-Russian content has increasingly been surfacing on news outlets and social media platforms in Africa. The messages are aimed at drum up support for the invasion of Ukraine, and to frame Russia’s growing presence on the African continent as beneficial, while vilifying American and European — especially French — involvement in Africa. [caption id=“attachment_12497852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]
Young men chant slogans against France and pro-Russia in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. File name/AP[/caption] Among ordinary Africans, Russia’s popularity continues to soar. During the coups that took place in Mali and Burkina Faso, hundreds of demonstrators could be seen on the streets of Ouagadougou and Bamako waving Russian flags in celebration. “Only Westerners talk about Wagner, and given their rivalry with Russia, I distrust all the information Westerners give about Wagner,” Diallo Abdoulaye told Inkstick. All eyes on Africa But what is the reason for the Wagner push in the continent? Moscow’s presence in Africa is mostly linked to the country’s need and interest in resources. It has seized economic and commercial opportunities through any route – be it bilateral agreements or through force. Today, Wagner has access to Africa’s manganese, oil, bauxite, diamonds, gold, chromium and uranium. And this has become a means for Moscow to fund its war in Ukraine and counter the many sanctions imposed by the West. Russia’s plundering of Sudan’s gold to finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine is a case in point. But, Wagner’s presence in Africa goes beyond the economic factors. Stronger ties with Africa help Russia to counter the West’s agenda of isolating Moscow on the international stage. Africa’s support of Russia has been evident in recent times – in March last year, 24 African countries declined to join the vote denouncing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine: 16 African countries abstained, seven didn’t vote at all and only one — Eritrea — voted against it. Stanyard in her report states that one of the aims of Wagner is to displace Western interests in Africa … “There was a strategy document from inside the organisation that was leaked a few years ago which said as much,” Stanyard has been quoted as saying. [caption id=“attachment_12497952” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin is a close aide to Vladimir Putin and has assumed significance in the Russia-Ukraine war. Reuters[/caption] WagnerSpeaks The Wagner Group has not directly responded to the accusations of supplying the RSF. However, a statement posted this week on the Telegram channel of Prigozhin’s holding company Concord said that none of his companies had financial interests in Sudan and that Wagner employees had not been in the country for two years. “We haven’t maintained any contact with either Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo or Fattah al-Burhan for a long time,” the statement said, referring to the RSF leader and the head of the Sudanese military, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Prigozhin has also dismissed questions about Wagner benefiting from gold in Sudan as nonsense, saying “There is no industrially interesting gold in Sudan” and no large profits to be made. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.