The repercussions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary force Wagner Group, dispute with Russia is of international concern. The concern mainly surrounds various African countries the group has influence in, as well as Baltic states who fear the group will assert itself in one of Russia’s neighboring countries.
The group first made headlines in 2014, with its involvement in the Russian annexation of The Crimea and is very active in Russia’s current war with Ukraine, with members heavily assisting in the deadly capture of the Ukrainian town of Bahamut.
Wagner works alongside countries in Africa, mainly Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), to provide security against insurgent groups. The group has assisted in the suppression of anti-government protests in Sudan and Venezuela.[1] The group also has a presence in war-torn Sudan and Libya, signaling Russia’s expanding influence in the Middle East. Wagner exploits natural resources such as gold and diamonds from CAR to fund its military operations, such as the war in Ukraine. [2]
The recent uprising in Moscow, however, poses a threat to the international community as it has the potential to affect peace and stability within Mali and the CAR. Wagner has been accused of human rights violations, as severe as war crimes and crimes against humanity, in sub-Saharan Africa. However, ensuring leadership of Wagner forces does not spiral out of control in these vulnerable African countries is imperative to the international community, as there is potential for rebellion and the risk of a civil war outbreak, especially in the Central African Republic.
Mali is also a country international leaders need to keep their eye on, as it’s a question whether or not UN peacekeepers will remain in the country.[3] The country runs a security risk if the 13,000 assigned UN peacekeepers withdraw while security operations by Wagner come to a potential standstill. Recent violence between insurgent groups and UN peacekeepers resulted in injuries among the UN force, as well as a casualty, bringing the total number of peacekeepers killed in the country in 2023 to nine. This further proves that the international community must act pragmatically and swiftly to take necessary precautions to ensure insurgent groups do not invoke violence in the country. The international community should work together to keep peacekeepers in Mali to prevent the disruption of peace.
Following the Moscow uprising, the United States imposed sanctions on companies across Africa and the Middle East which have been funding the Wagner Group through their gold trade. According to the US State Department, the group is responsible for spreading corruption and conflict throughout sub-Saharan Africa.[4] One of the four companies sanctioned is from the CAR. With these sanctions in place, the country faces the potential of losing large amounts of revenue from the gold/diamond trade. Europe, in accordance with the United States, has the ability to impose further policies to limit the power of the Wagner Group. The international community must come together and halt the growth of the group, which has been designated a transnational criminal organization by the United States.
Europe has an interest in restricting the Wagner Group’s activities in Africa since the regulation of the group’s sources of revenue will contain its influence of violence in Ukraine and throughout Europe. Restricting the group also opens the door for Europe to gain footing in the sub-Saharan African region. It’s important that the international community push African leaders to halt their dealings with the Wagner Group in order to protect their citizens, as the group perpetuates violence and crime wherever it’s stationed.
Furthermore, the group’s chaos in Moscow has resulted in Prigozhin evacuating to neighboring Belarus. Baltic countries like Lithuania and Latvia have voiced concerns over the group’s leader establishing a potential home base for Wagner outside Russia. To prevent the spread of violence, Europe must work together to check the growth of Wagner in the Baltic region.
The group is a danger to both European and African countries and international leaders should take decisive steps to prevent the group’s spread of terror and violence across continents.
References
Faucon, Benoit and Parkinson, Joe and Hinshaw, Drew. “Putin Moves to Seize Control of
Wagner Group’s Global Empire.” The Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2023. Accessed 28,
Lewis, David and Mcallister, Edward. “U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali set to end on June
30.” Reuters, June 27, 2023. Accessed 28, June 2023.
Rampe, William. “What is Russia’s Wagner Group Doing in Africa?” Council on Foreign Relations, May
23, 2023. Accessed 27, June 2023. https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/what-russias-wagner-group doing-africa
“Sanctioning Entities and Individual Connected to Wagner Group in Africa.” U.S. Department of State,
June 27, 2023. Accessed 27, June 2023. https://www.state.gov/sanctioning-entities-and-individual-connected-to-wagner-group-in-africa/
[1] Benoit, Faucon and Joe, Parkinson, and Drew Hinshaw. “Putin Moves.”
[2] William, Rampe. “What is Russia’s Wagner Group.”
[3] David, Lewis, and Edward, Mcallister. “U.N. peacekeeping mission.”
[4] U.S Dept. of State. “Sanctioning Entities.”
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
