Russia Pushes Central African Republic to Replace Wagner with African Corps
Russia demands that the Central African Republic replace mercenaries from the private military company Wagner with the African Corps and pay for their services in cash instead of minerals.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Deutsche Welle, citing Associated Press.
Russia is demanding that the Wagner private military company (PMC) be replaced by the African Corps, with payment in cash instead of minerals, but the Central African Republic (CAR) government seems reluctant to agree to these terms, as it considers Wagner to be more effective due to its connections with local officers, operational reputation, and greater resources.
It is worth recalling that since 2018, Wagner has been protecting CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, helping him to remain in power, in particular by supporting the 2023 constitutional referendum. In exchange, the PMC gained access to valuable mineral resources, including the gold-bearing Ndassima deposit. After the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, Russia began to gradually replace this private military company with the African Corps, which is controlled by the Ministry of Defense.
According to a CAR military official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Russian deputy defense minister demanded during several visits this year a transfer to the Africa Corps and payment estimated at millions of euros.
“The authorities in Bangui have stated that they cannot pay this amount and are offering to compensate Russia with strategic resources, including gold, uranium, and iron,” the official said.
Unlike Wagner, which actively fights alongside government forces against rebels, the Africa Corps focuses primarily on training, potentially complicating the security situation in the CAR. After the expulsion of French troops in 2022, the country has virtually no alternative. Given Wagner's important role in deterring rebels, the transition to the Africa Corps and Russia's demand to pay in cash instead of minerals could affect the security situation in the country, the report says.
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