Politico: Wagner Funded by Africa Gold Mining – Profits Up to $1B

Club Wagnerthe paramilitary organization linked to Russia, is expanding its projects related to the mining of precious metals (gold) in Africa with a view to raking in millions to support its military operations in Ukraineaccording to a Western official and a US diplomatic cable obtained by the news website Politico.

According to the official and the cable, Politico writes, “over the past year, the Wagner Group has significantly expanded its work in the Central African Republic, where it could see mining profits soar to nearly $1 billion,” an amount which will be used according to the official “most likely to acquire new weapons and fighters”.

The group, owned by the Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, is involved in paramilitary activities around the world, including in Africa and the Middle East, and is increasingly active on the front lines in Ukraine. The Kremlin denies any official relationship with Wagner.

US officials have warned for years that Wagner is using mining profits to help prop up the Russian state amid Western sanctions.

The Wagner Group settled in the Central African Republic in 2018, creating a cultural center and entering into various agreements to help secure mining sites, including the Ndassima gold mine located near the town of Bambari in the center of the country. Since then, Wagner has turned the once artisanal mine into a massive complex, according to the cable.

Today, the mine spans eight producing zones in various stages of development – the largest estimated to be approximately over 200 feet, according to the cable. The US believes Wagner is helping to build the site for long-term exploitation and has fortified the mine, building bridges at river crossings and truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns at key points.

“The fact that they’re setting up an expanded mining operation, that they’re making these long-term plans, I think it really shows how integrated they are with the local military and the level of dependence the CAR government has on them,” said Catrina Doxsee ), associate director and fellow of the Transnational Threats Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

The Central African Republic is now refusing to grant drone flight permits to UN peacekeepers in the country, according to the cable. Several of these have come under fire from the Central African Republic army. US officials believe this is a sign that the Wagner group is gaining political control of the country, the cable said.

Wagner has a history of using violence to advance its mining interests in Africa. In 2020, he sent fighters to the Ndassima mine to secure the area. In 2021, the group was accused of summarily executing rebels and other people living in the area to drive them from their homes in order to develop the mine. Since then, Wagner has operated under the guise of a company registered in Madagascar, according to the cable.

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