×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Home To Bold Columnists
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

Wagner Group is a destabilising force; please kick it out of Africa

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

Former Russian mercenary and Wagner leader the late Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Wagner Group is a private military company (PMC) with operations in Africa that was tied to the late Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin. The PMC have been deployed by various African governments to offer security including in Central African Republic (CAR), Sudan, Libya, and Mozambique but have proved to be ineffective and corrupt. They have failed to improve the security of everyday people but have amassed wealth from these countries for their benefit.

Wagner is accused of being utilised by the Kremlin to circumvent Western sanctions after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As a PMC, Wagner operates outside the official structures of the Russian military, providing a level of deniability for the Russian government. It has been used to undertake activities abroad that align with Russia's strategic interests while maintaining plausible deniability regarding its direct involvement. By doing so, the Kremlin evade the direct attribution of these activities to the Russian state, thus evading further sanctions or international repercussions.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Bold Reporting Takes Time, Courage and Investment. Stand With Us.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
Sports
Like 1996, does Kenya risk losing Afcon hosting rights?
Sports
Kakamega and Musingu keep winning
Athletics
World Indoor show kicks off with tough battles expected
Sports
Schools: St Mary's Yala rules handball, basketball and rugby at Nyanza games