EIt was a symbolic victory for Mali's military government: three years after the coup, its army recaptured Kidal in November last year. Kidal is a town in the far north of the desert state, an important stopover on the trade route to Algeria, but above all a place where the Malian army suffered an ignominious defeat against rebels almost a decade ago. Since then, the separatists have had the city under their control.
But it wasn't just Mali's new military government under 41-year-old Colonel Assimi Goïta that triumphed. A few days later, a video appeared on Telegram. Two Russian fighters could be seen raising a black flag with a skull and crossbones. “The orchestra's flag has been hoisted over Kidal,” the text read, “the residents of the city love us.” By “orchestra” we mean the mercenary group Wagner.
The capture of Kidal came a few months after the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose plane crashed near Moscow in August. Afterwards, there was much speculation about the future shape and strategy of the mercenary force on the continent, its commanders and the influence of the Kremlin. To the outside world, it appeared like Prigozhin's private army and became an important partner for several African governments.
This text comes from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
A new unit called the “African Corps” or “Afrikakorps” has now been formed, which, according to analysts, is likely to replace the previous Wagner force in Africa. “Similar concept, different name,” says Julia Stanyard, researcher for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. It is clear that Prigozhin's death has not changed Russia's expansion efforts in Africa. So far, Wagner has been present in several states led by autocratic rulers such as Libya, Sudan and Mali. There is even a monument to her in the Central African Republic (CAR), a center of African Wagner activity. Flowers were recently laid there to commemorate Prigozhin and the militia leaders who died with him.
Prigozhin has been active in Africa since 2017 at the latest
For a long time she acted in the interests of Vladimir Putin. For Russia's president, Africa is a top priority. He has already hosted two Africa summits in 2019 and 2023, is presenting himself as the leader of a “global south” against a “neo-colonial” West and is taking advantage of the displeasure with the former colonial masters. The Wagner militia is a key element in increasing Russia's influence. Prigozhin has been active in Africa since 2017 at the latest. The British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) highlights in a recent analysis that Wagner's declaration as a “private military company” is misleading. Wagner was therefore not a private venture by Prigozhin, who began his career as a catering entrepreneur in his hometown of Saint Petersburg and became rich with catering contracts for the Russian army, schools and kindergartens. Rather, the militia was dependent on the Ministry of Defense for funding and equipment.