Russia launches paramilitary organization in Africa, securing concessions under government initiative

More than half a year has passed since the death of Mr. Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian private military company Wagner, and the Russian government has launched a new paramilitary organization under the Ministry of Defense in Africa, where Wagner has been expanding its activities, and plans to carry out local activities. There are signs that the government is taking initiative to secure rights and interests.

In Africa, Russia has used its private military company Wagner to expand its influence in countries with unstable domestic situations due to conflicts and coups, such as Libya, Sudan, Mali, and Central Africa.

It has been pointed out that while Wagner has dispatched fighters, he has been working behind the scenes in ways that are closely tied to the Putin administration's Africa strategy, such as expanding interests in mineral resources.

However, Wagner's founder, Mr. Prigozhin, started an armed rebellion in June last year, and two months later he was killed when the private jet he was on board crashed, bringing attention to Russia's movements in Africa. Ta.

It has been pointed out that around the fall of last year, the Russian government launched a new paramilitary organization called the ``African Force'' under the Ministry of Defense to replace Wagner, and is attempting to take over activities and interests in Africa.

The African Unit is believed to have already started operations in Mali and Libya, and in January this year, it was announced that approximately 100 troops were dispatched to Burkina Faso in West Africa.

As of December last year, Africa Force announced that about half of its members, including the commander, were former members of Wagner.

On the other hand, they are putting effort into acquiring new personnel, and advertisements are frequently posted on social media to recruit human resources with the promise of ``high salaries'' and ``benefits such as medical expenses.''

American media outlet Bloomberg reports that Russia is looking to secure up to 20,000 personnel for the Africa Force, citing sources from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Russia appears to be trying to expand its influence by switching from involvement through private military companies to more direct government-led involvement in African countries where political instability continues.

Expert: “Wagner is trying to take over the interests built up.”

Experts familiar with Russia's activities in Africa say the Russian government is trying to take over the military and economic interests and networks that Wagner has built in Africa.

Shu Kobayashi, a senior researcher at the Middle East Research Center at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, said, ``It is becoming clear that the Russian government and military are serious about taking over Wagner, which was deployed in Africa. "Rather than being led by the government, it appears that the government is taking the lead in developing military, intelligence, and economic activities in a more integrated manner."

Regarding the reason for this, ``Although there are various risks for Russia to intervene as a state in conflicts in Africa, there are many pro-Russian systems in many African countries, and they are using profits from gold mines etc. in Ukraine.'' It is also being used for military funds for war.It can be said that the benefits outweigh the risks.''

Senior Researcher Kobayashi also stated that Russia has become a reliable partner for African countries suffering from terrorism and deteriorating public security, but added, ``If Russia becomes involved as a state, it will be difficult for the Putin regime as an African country to become involved.'' "There is a risk that they will think that they have received approval from the government and will not hesitate to engage in activities that lead to human rights violations," he said, pointing out that there is a risk that repression and violence against citizens will be encouraged in the name of counterterrorism. .

In Africa, since 2020, a chain reaction of coups d'état has occurred in West African countries that were once French colonies, and the number of countries surrounding these countries is becoming unstable.

Chief researcher Kobayashi said, ``The more Western countries stage coups or try to remove powerful countries, the closer they get to Russia.'' "We need to continue to make efforts to repel this," he said, emphasizing the importance of Japan, Europe, the United States, and other countries and international organizations continuing to be involved in Africa.

Burkina Faso's rapidly deepening relationship with Russia

One country in West Africa that is rapidly deepening its relationship with Russia is Burkina Faso in West Africa.

It is a landlocked country in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, with a population of approximately 22 million.

Originally, France, the country's former colonial power, had a strong influence, but relations with France deteriorated after two coups a year ago established a military regime, and the French military troops stationed there withdrew last year. did.

Instead, the Burkina Faso government approached Russia.

At the summit meeting with African countries held in Russia in July last year, President Putin and Burkina Faso's interim president Traore held individual talks and confirmed cooperation on issues such as security and food.

Since then, high-ranking government and military officials from both countries have continued to visit Burkina Faso, and in January of this year, approximately 100 members of the African Forces, a paramilitary organization under the Russian Ministry of Defense, arrived in Burkina Faso. We are doing training etc.

Last month, when an NHK reporting team visited Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, they saw Russian flags being raised all over the city, showing that the whole country was welcoming Russia's aid.

During the day, the sun shines brightly and the temperature approaches 40 degrees, but once the sun sets and the heat eases, young people who support Russia gather in the town square every day.

The young people used their smartphones to broadcast videos on social media, making their point about the importance of cooperation with Russia.

One participant said, ``Weapons from Russia are actually being imported into our country. It's really a mutually beneficial, win-win relationship. "It is," he said.

The biggest reason why the people of Burkina Faso have high hopes for Russian military assistance is the serious deterioration of security.

Islamic extremists have become more active in Burkina Faso since around 2015, and terrorist attacks and attacks are occurring frequently.

According to ACLED, a non-profit research organization that compiles data on armed conflicts around the world, approximately 8,500 people were killed in the past year.

Additionally, more than 2 million people have been forced to leave their homes and are evacuated within the country.

Belem Adama (37), who continues to live as a refugee on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, had his village besieged by extremists in January this year.

It is said that he took his family and left the village with only the clothes on their backs because the nearby village was attacked, villagers were killed, and their houses were set on fire.

Adama has three wives and 15 children, but at the evacuation center he has no income other than occasional day labor and is struggling to put food on the table.

Therefore, adults should limit themselves to just one meal a day and try to feed their children as much as possible.

Adama said, ``I left all my cattle and motorcycles in the village and fled here to at least save my life.Russia is supporting the fight against terrorists and everyone can return to their villages as soon as possible.'' I want it,” he said.

Samuel Kalkoumed, a security expert and advisor to interim President Traore, said: ``Cooperation with Russia is very important, as it means our military has better weapons and better training.'' He highly rates the relationship with Russia, saying, "We are now able to fight against terrorism."

On the other hand, regarding the fact that units of the Russian private military company Wagner have been implicated in the killing of civilians in neighboring countries such as Mali and Central Africa, ``In the fight against terrorism, brutal acts are not allowed.'' Sometimes it can't be helped if what is done is supported by the people of that country.However, what we are working with is not the military forces, but the Russian government and military.That is the government's policy. "It is," he said.