The Russian post-Wagner era began inauspiciously in Africa. Russia after a break of more than a year, due to the war in Ukraine and the Wagner rebellion against the Putin regime, is coming back strongly to Africa. The Russians are sending a special “Afrika Korps” mercenary military corps to the Sahel countries in Africa.
The first 100 Russian military personnel with equipment and weapons arrived in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. In the near future, a group of 300 soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces will be stationed in this country. Thus, the development of the so-called “Africa Corps” of the Russian Ministry of Defense began. This is a new structure created to replace the Wagner PMC structures that were operating on the continent.
Africa Corps Development Countries – Duties and Missions
Russian Units will be deployed in five countries of the Sahel region, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Niger and the Central African Republic.
All the necessary agreements were reached during the trip of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov to these countries. The Russian forces replace the French contingent, which was forced to leave the Sahel countries after the change of authorities in the countries of the region.
The tasks of Russian officers and contract soldiers include the training and education of African colleagues, as well as ensuring the security of the highest officials of the states.
In particular, soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces will provide significant assistance in protecting the transitional president of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore, who has already been the subject of several assassination attempts.
Particular attention will be given to patrolling the Bamako-Ouangadougou highway, which connects Burkina Faso with neighboring Mali. This road is considered an extremely dangerous area where militants and robbers of various groups operate. By the way, Russia’s sphere of presence in Africa may expand in the near future.
Russia is spreading its tentacles in Chad
Today Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with his Chadian counterpart, Mahamat Idris Deby.
The leaders of the two countries discussed the prospects for the development of Russia-Chad relations in various fields and also agreed to sign a number of agreements. The Russian president drew attention to the Chadian government’s fight against terrorist groups and the fact that at the moment the situation in the country has stabilized. He promised that the Russian side “will stand in solidarity in every possible way.
The French “ebb”
China, Russia and Turkey are moving the EU away from the Maghreb,” replacing the traditional power and influence of France and other Europeans from northwest Africa and the Sahel.
It is generally accepted as a fact that the French presence in northern, western and sub-Saharan Africa, which was strong in the last century, has been declining in recent years, mainly due to the three countries above that have upgraded their presence and activities in the region.
The Paris administration experienced a problem in its relations with the Malian administration as a result of Russia’s involvement and decided to end its military operations in the country in June 2022.
France, in which some African countries oppose a military presence, has been at the forefront of operations against jihadist groups in the Sahel region.
However, the military juntas that came to power in West Africa after a coup demanded that France withdraw from their country, which it did to a large extent, while cultivating strong anti-French sentiment.
The Turkish penetration in the Sahel
European diplomats describe Turkey’s activities in the Sahel as “aggressive”, saying that Turkey is building schools and hospitals as a means initially to gain a foothold in the Sahel countries.
This then helps to develop economic and trade relations, with the ultimate goal of this then developing into either a direct Turkish military presence in the region in the form of Somali-style bases or the sending of troops or mercenaries to promote Islamic rule in the region. area.
China is building a military base in Equatorial Guinea
Finally, China is creating a military base in Equatorial Guinea, a small country in Central Africa with about 1.4 million inhabitants. Its economy is dominated by resource extraction, with crude oil exports accounting for 90% of government revenue. China is Equatorial Guinea’s largest trading partner.
The exact location is speculated to be the small deep-water port in Bata, the country’s largest city. The commercial port was renovated and expanded from 2008-2014 with Chinese funding. Another infrastructure project extended the highway network from Bata to Niefang in the east of the country.
Overall, the projects helped lay the groundwork for greater commercial penetration in central Africa, particularly Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
A military base in Equatorial Guinea would represent a clear geopolitical victory for Beijing, expanding its global network of resupply and repair sites, thereby increasing the capabilities of the PLA Navy (PLAN).
The Russian post-Wagner era in the Sahel countries of Africa
From the above we understand that Russia is ushering in the post-Wagner era in Africa, further strengthening its position with the mission of the “Afrika Korps” mercenary corps, having to deal primarily with Turkish and secondarily Chinese influence in the region.
As far as the West is concerned, French influence has declined significantly and the US does not seem to be seriously involved in the region. Finally, we underline that among the five (5) African countries of development of the Russian “Afrika Korps”, Libya is also included, after an updated agreement of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov with it.
