500-600 Wagner Mercenaries Fly from Central African Republic to Moscow

According to Jeune Afrique, approximately 500-600 mercenaries from the Wagner private military company have flown from the capital of the Central African Republic to Moscow.

Journalistic sources indicate that two flights were carried out from Bangui airport, while another aircraft remains in the Central African Republic.

In recent years, Russia has actively increased its influence in Africa, including sending Wagner mercenaries to the continent. Specifically, these mercenaries are deployed in the Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, and North and South Sudan.

In January 2023, Politico reported that the group significantly expanded its activities in the Central African Republic in 2022, and its profits from gold production in the country could rise to one billion dollars.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated a few days after the rebellion of the group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin that Russian military instructors would continue to operate in Africa. Although the minister did not specify that this referred specifically to the group's mercenaries, he noted that the authorities of the Central African Republic and Mali had officially appealed to this private military company for assistance in ensuring the security of their leadership.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Kremlin has informed the authorities of Syria, the Central African Republic, and Mali that it has taken control of Wagner.