A Russian African Legion replaces Wagner's forces in Africa Press Tour News

The Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” revealed in a report that Moscow has begun the process of forming the “African Corps” to replace the forces Wagner Operating in the African continent, this structure is supposed to be completed by the summer of 2024 to be present in 5 African countries.

The newspaper explained that a source in the private security company “RCB Group” – which trains security forces in Burkina Faso – was the one who confirmed this news.

According to this source, the African Legion has either already been deployed or is planned to be deployed in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger. The new structure will be directly affiliated with the military administration, and supervised by General Yunusbek Yevkurov, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense.

Various formations

Vedomosti quoted another source as saying that the formation of the corps is based on units of the former Wagner military company and individual fighters who left this organization. Work on creating the structure began after the “death” of the founder of the Wagner company Yevgeny Prigozhin In August 2023.

One of the unit’s fighters, who previously worked in that private military company and is now working in Mali, explained that the fighters began receiving their funding from the Russian Guard, after amendments were adopted in December that allowed the Russian Guard to include volunteer formations in its ranks.

A Vedomosti source close to the Ministry of Defense also confirmed that in addition to the African Legion, structures of other law enforcement agencies and private security services companies linked to Russian companies will operate in Africa.

enlistment

One of Vedomosti’s sources adds that the recruitment process began in December, not only in Africa, but also in Russia, confirming the authenticity of recruitment advertisements that were published since the first ten days of December 2023 on military channels on the Telegram application, so that it is presented to applicants. “Serving under the supervision of competent commanders with combat experience, receiving salaries in foreign currencies abroad, and receiving medical care and all social benefits.”

The writer quotes a researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Orientalism Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Grigory Lukyanov, that the emerging African Legion does not resemble the Western and Asian security companies that were operating in Africa 30 years ago.

Lukyanov believes that the activity of the African Corps in the Sahel region is impossible without the role of Libya or Algeria as landing airports and countries overlooking the sea. Perhaps this explains Yevkurov’s meeting with General Khalifa Haftar in August in Benghazi, and in late September in Moscow.