Hundreds of troops in the Wagner paramilitary organization have been seen flying out of the Central African Republic in recent days, prompting questions about whether Moscow is purging the group after its mutiny in Russia last month. Fidele Gouandjika, an adviser to Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, said there had been “no change” in the Wagner Group’s presence in recent days. The mutiny led by Prigozhin two weeks ago was “an internal matter for Russia,” he said, adding that the Central African Republic had an agreement with the Russian Federation, not the Wagner group. But even with a “rebranding,” Russia is unlikely to withdraw from Wagner’s security contracts, disinformation operations and mining ventures that have boosted Moscow’s reach in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, Clarke and other experts said. It’s really a creature of the Russian military intelligence agency,” said Kimberly Marten, a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 08, 2023 16:23 UTC