Russia’s Kremlin-Controlled Africa Corps Replacing Controversial Wagner Group in African Conflict Zones

In Africa, a new Russian paramilitary force is set to replace the notorious Wagner Group, infamous for its failed mutiny against Moscow and accusations of committing grave abuses against civilians. The Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps is the likely successor, according to experts.

For years, Wagner, which received funding from the Russian government and was praised by President Vladimir Putin in 2023 for its “courage and heroism,” has been a significant player in the Sahel region’s military offerings. However, with Wagner withdrawing from vast parts of the region, beset by frequent coups, armed rebellion, and extremist insurgency, it appears that the Kremlin seeks a controlled, but unofficial, army to take its place.

At a Russia-Africa Summit in 2023, Putin disclosed that the Kremlin had finalized military-technical cooperation agreements with over 40 African countries, supplying them with a wide range of weapons and equipment. As Western troops are expelled from several Sahel governments between 2022 and this year due to growing anti-Western sentiments, Russia is filling the void left behind.

In regions such as Mali, where Wagner suffered some of its worst known losses, with dozens killed in a rebel ambush a year ago, its forces have joined local militaries in combat against insurgents. Wagner’s successor, unlike the mercenary group, operates under the umbrella of the Russian defense ministry, according to the Africa Corps’ official Telegram channel.

The corps consists of elite combat commanders from Russia’s army, with priority recruitment given to current and former Wagner fighters, as revealed on the Africa Corps’ Telegram channel in January 2024. Operatives of the Africa Corps have since engaged in joint operations with Mali’s military against militia groups.

Wagner announced in June that it was leaving Mali, one of the troubled nations in the Sahel, stating that it had completed a three-and-a-half-year mission fighting insurgents in the junta-led West African country. Similar exits by Wagner have been proposed in the Central African Republic (CAR), the group’s main stronghold in Africa.

Wagner has operated in CAR since 2018 and became the dominant force following the final exit of French troops in 2022. It is widely credited with helping CAR stave off collapse. This month, military officials in CAR informed The Associated Press that Russia’s defense ministry had requested authorities to replace Wagner with the Africa Corps and pay for its services in cash.

The remuneration of Wagner for providing military services to CAR, which includes protecting its president, reclaiming territory seized by rebels, and keeping armed groups at bay, “is done in an extremely hidden and discreet manner” by CAR’s government, according to Martin Ziguélé, a former prime minister who served from 2001 to 2003.

Russia’s move to replace Wagner in Africa could be a strategic rebranding, according to Héni Nsaibia, a senior analyst at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). “With the Wagner name tarnished after the mutiny and Prigozhin’s death, Russia is likely consolidating its foreign military ventures under formal state control by erasing the ‘Wagner’ brand while retaining its core functions under a new name like the Africa Corps,” Nsaibia said.

Institutionalizing its military engagement in Africa could benefit the Kremlin in various ways, Nsaibia added. “The Africa Corps is intended to give Moscow greater control over operations, and potentially more international legitimacy, and fewer legal and reputational risks,” he explained. Wagner has faced lawsuits from human rights groups over accusations of human rights abuses, and both the European Union and United Nations have sanctioned the group and its affiliates.