Die russische Wagner-Gruppe hat sich umbenannt – und verstärkt ihren Einfluss auf Afrika

Russia’s notorious Wagner Group is deepening its influence across Africa through a sprawling network of military, security, and disinformation operations aimed at dislodging Western influence from the region.

Once controlled by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in August 2023 in a plane crash over Russia, the group has been rebranded as Africa Corps on the continent following his death.

Operating as a shadowy arm of Russian foreign policy, the organisation secures lucrative deals with African regimes, exchanging military and security services for access to natural resources, mineral rights, and preferential business contracts.

Experts told The i Paper that Africa Corps is already active or exerting influence in at least 12 African nations, while Chad, Gabon, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo are believed to be at risk of being targeted in the coming years. It comes following a heavy involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, in which the US estimated it had about 50,000 personnel, made up of 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts recruited from prisons.

Human rights groups have implicated Wagner and Africa Corps in a litany of atrocities, including rape, torture, and mass killings. These crimes terrorise local populations and pose a risk to locals that stand against Africa Corps’ tightening grip on power in the region, experts say.