THOUSANDS of miles from Ukraine’s bloody frontline, Vladimir Putin is quietly waging a brutal second war in the desert.
In a vast lawless region plagued by coups, terrorism and insurgencies, the Russian tyrant is wrapping his war-hungry tentacles around Africa with a shadow army risen from the ashes.
Wagner fighters seen in a new promotional video to recruit members in Africa
APThree Russian mercenaries in northern Mali as Russia engages in military ops in at least half a dozen countries in Africa[/caption]
APWagner forces wave a Russian and Wagner flag in Bakhmut, Ukraine[/caption]
AFPVladimir Putin has reached out to take a grip of Africa[/caption]
From Mali to the Central African Republic and across the Sahel, Russia has rechristened its notorious Wagner group to form a new Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force – the Africa Corps.
With boots on the ground, the war-ravaged territories are offering Putin the perfect arena to stretch out his shadowy hand and shore up allies.
But the tyrant is also thought to be using the dark operations as a strategic “conveyor belt” to train Russian troops for his meat-grinder war in Ukraine.
And with some 40 lucrative defence deals signed, the battlegrounds in the resource-rich region are helping to prop up Russia’s spluttering war-fatigued economy.
Ukraine have taken note of this rising threat – and have even been fighting back far away from the frontline on their eastern flank.
For years, Russia’s infamous Wagner Group was used as proxy by the Kremlin to battle rebels and armed groups abroad in brutal military operations.
But their chief Yevgeny Prigozhin – a former ally of Putin – was wiped out in a fireball crash in 2023 following an extraordinary failed coup.
With a much tighter grip from the Kremlin, Wagner reinvented itself as Africa Corps – with goals to shore up military leaders, extract gold and undermine Western influence.
Candice Rondeau, Senior Director at the Future Frontlines Program at New America, warned that Africa Corps “has expanded its footprint”.
From the shadows, Russia is “playing footsie” with more and more nations.
The mercenaries have a strong foothold in the Sahel, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali – along with “interest” in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, she explained.
Rondeau added: “Africa Corps is in many respects the same thing as the Wagner Group.
“The big difference is that it is now under an official leash, [which is] a little tighter.
“When you’re signing up to join, you usually sign a contract with the Defence Ministry as opposed to a random shell company that’s associated with Wagner.
“There are still some commanders who are deeply associated with the Wagner Group model that are entrenched in the Africa Korps battalions and detachments.
“We know that a couple of Wagner commanders who are very close to Pavel Prigozhin, who is Prigozhin’s son, have been left in charge of running operations there.”
East2WestPavel Prigozhin now oversees the remains of the Wagner Group[/caption]
From the shadows, experts say Russia is ‘playing footsie’ with more and more nations
TelegramSince 2018, Russian mercenaries have been providing ‘security’ in the Central African Republic[/caption]
As long as violence rages, Rondeau says Russia has a “forever market”.
But it’s feared leaders have been “paralysed by Russian power”.
Rondeau said: “It’s caused a split between the countries… and there is a lot of fear that when Russian forces come in – coups soon follow.
“There’s been a lot of pushback against any kind of expansion.
“But as long as the war in Ukraine goes on, there will always be a need for a conveyor belt between Africa and Ukraine in terms of seasoned forces that Russia needs.”
Ukraine’s ‘proxy war’
But Russia might not be the only one waging a second front of the war on a different continent.
In July last year, there was a clash between Tuareg rebel forces in Mali and Africa Corps – resulting in a “massive wipe-out for Russian forces”, Rondeau said.
“It was at that moment that the Ukrainian support was rumoured,” she added.
There were suggestions that Ukrainian special forces “trained Tuareg forces on how to use Starlink for its communications and how to coordinate its drone operations”.
“The problem is we just don’t have proof of that,” Rondeau said.
“Shortly after that incident – after reports that Ukraine might have helped the Tuareg rebels – there was a chilling of relations between Mali and Ukraine.
“Burkina Faso, which is also part of this Sahel alliance, also in Niger, decided to freeze Ukraine out and end diplomatic relations with Ukraine.”
Former Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north of MoscowAP
APSmoke and flames rise from Prigozhin’s private jet near the village of Kuzhenkino[/caption]
APRussian mercenaries boarding a helicopter in northern Mali[/caption]
Rondeau said Ukraine has been attempting to use Russia’s “rather shaky relations” in some parts of the world to cut supply lines that “leads to cash flow to Moscow and the Kremlin”.
If the Ukrainians are supporting anti-Russian forces in the Sahel, “it certainly shows an escalation”, Rondeau said.
She added: “That would be a classic definition of a proxy. You have an armed group acting outside of the constitutional chain of command in a given territory.
“It may be a situation where the Ukrainians very aptly see that they can quickly spend just a little bit of money and effort to gain influence.”
While Russia usually secures “extractive deals” for so-called “security services” in these African nations, it is increasingly asking for cash, Rondeau explained.
Rondeau said: “There are a lot of indicators that the Russian economy is struggling.
“This may be one reason why now, in Russia’s dealings with its clients in Africa, it is looking for cash, not just commodities.”
In Central African Republic, so-called Russian “instructors” have been viewed a “very important providers of security and stability”.
Who are the Africa Corps?
Also dubbed the “Russian Expeditionary Corps” (REK) – the mish-mash of mecenaries and soldiers are run as a private army for the Kremlin.
First established in 2023, the group was formed a direct response to the rebellon and death of the Wagner Group warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Wagner had been running much of Putin’s shadow operations around the world – especially in Africa.
But after Prigozhin grew in popularity and influence to the point he marched on Moscow – Vlad decided to bring his mercenaries in house.
They now operate under the direct control of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
And while being called the “Africa Corps” – they have also fought in battles in Ukraine.