The Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) announced its departure from Mali on June 6. The PMC’s operations in Africa enabled Russia to establish a network of influence on the continent and secure access to natural resources.
Late-Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed rebellion in 2023 led to Wagner’s operations in Africa being largely taken over by the Africa Corps, a paramilitary group entirely subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Africa Corps’ operations in place of Wagner sustain Russia’s presence in Africa but take away the Kremlin’s ability to distance itself from any crimes Russian paramilitary operations may commit on the continent.
On June 6, the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) announced that its mercenaries would withdraw from Mali after a three-and-a-half-year presence in the country (see EDM, July 9). Russia’s military presence in Mali is not ending
however, but is transitioning to another paramilitary formation under the Russian Armed Forces—the Africa Corps. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late leader of Wagner, turned his private army against the Russian Ministry of Defense on June 23, 2023.
The Wagner leader aimed to confront then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, whom he accused of attacking the mercenaries’ rear positions (Meduza, June 23, 2023).
Prigozhin’s personal accusations against Russia’s top military leadership quickly became politicized, prompting a response not only from state media but also from Russian President Vladimir Putin himself (President of Russia, June 24, 2023).
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