OR Wagnera Russian team of mercenaries known for its failed rebellion against Moscow and is accused of serious violations against civilians in Africa, is replaced by another Russian paramilitary group. According to experts, its successor is Africa corpscontrolled by the Kremlin, as CNN notes.

For years, Wagner, funded by the Russian government and praised for its “courage and heroism” by the Russian president Vladimir Putin In 2023, he embodied Moscow’s military influences in Sahel, an area of ​​western and North Central Africa extending from Senegal to Sudan.

However, with the departure of Wagner from large parts of the area, which is plagued by repetitive coups, armed uprisings and extremist rebellions, it seems that the Kremlin wants to replace it with a controlled but informal army.

Putin revealed at a Russia-African summit in 2023 that the Kremlin had “concluded military-technical cooperation agreements with more than 40 African countries, in which we supply a wide range of weapons and equipment”.

The Kremlin covers to some extent the gap left by the Western forces, which were expelled by several governments in Sahel between 2022 and this year, as anti -Western emotions increase throughout the region.

At a time when the West has greatly turned its attention elsewhere, from wars in the Middle East and Ukraine to tensions with China, Russia has become a sought -after partner in the field of security both inside and outside Sahal.

In some areas, such as Mali, where Wagner suffered some of her worst losses, with dozens of dead in a rebel ambush a year ago, her forces have joined the local armies in the fight against the rebels.

What do we know about Africa Corps

Wagner’s successor is not self -governing. Unlike Wagner, the AFRICA Corps paramilitary team belongs to the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to the team’s official Telegram channel.

The House consists of elite commanders of the Russian army. Priority in hiring was also given to current and former Wagner fighters, as revealed by a post by Africa Corps in Telegram in January 2024.

Since then, members of Africa Corps have joined the battlefield, conducting joint operations with Mali’s army against the militia.

Wagner announced in June that it was leaving Mali, one of the troubled countries of Sahel, stating that it had completed its three -year mission to combat rebels in the West African country ruled by a military junta.

Wagner’s similar departure has been discussed in the Central African Republic, the team’s neuralgic center in Africa. Wagner has been active in the Central African Republic since 2018 and has become the dominant force in the African country after the final withdrawal of French troops in 2022. In the Central African Republic it is widely recognized that it has helped the country avoid collapse.

However, earlier this month, military officials in the Central African Republic told the Associated Press that the Russian Ministry of Defense had asked the country’s authorities to replace Wagner with Africa Corps and pay its cash services.

Wagner’s remuneration for the provision of military services to the Central African Republic, including the protection of its president, the recovery of territories occupied by rebels and preventing armed groups, “in a very hidden and discreet way” by the Central African Government of the Central African Republic. Opposition who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2003.

It is not clear how Wagner’s services are paid. However, previous CNN surveys have revealed that companies connected to former Wagner leader Gevgeni Prigozin had secured concessions for the extraction of gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic, where almost 70% of the population lives in extremes of extremes – in 2023.

It is recalled that Prigozin was killed in a plane crash northwest of Moscow in August 2023, two months after the failed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership.

Neither the government spokesman nor the Defense and Communication Ministers of the Central African Republic responded to CNN’s request for a comment on the alleged scheduled shift to the African army. CNN has not even received a response from the Russian authorities.

Neither the government spokesman nor the Defense and Communication Ministers of the Central African Republic responded to CNN’s request for comment on the scheduled shift to Africa Corps. CNN did not receive an answer from the Russian authorities either.

Communications Minister Maxime Balalou told CNN in January that a bilateral defense agreement “allowed Russia to supply us with weapons”, as well as “undertake the management and training of our defense and security forces, and to help our armed forces.”

According to the Africa Corps Telegram channel, the paramilitary team has already reached other parts of Africa, where it operates in the countries of Western Africa Niger and Burkina Faso, which are ruled by junta.

It is not known whether the team is active in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, which hosts about 200 Russian military trainers, according to a Reuters survey at the end of last year. Equatorial Guinea has been the same leader for 46 years.

What does Putin want to do differently?

Russia’s move to replace Wagner in Africa could be a “strategic remodeling of the Moscow image”, according to Héni Nsaibia, a senior armed conflict location & event data project (ACLED).

“With Wagner’s name being seriously tarnished after Prigozin’s rebellion and death, Russia is probably unifying its military operations abroad under the official control of the state, eliminating the” Wagner “brand while maintaining its basic functions under a new name, such as AFRICA Corps.” “In this way,” he added, “Moscow can be distanced from the mercenary narrative, while maintaining a strong presence in the area.”

Military involvement in Africa could benefit the Kremlin in other ways, NSAIBIA said. “Africa Corps aims to give Moscow greater control over businesses, and possibly greater international legality, as well as fewer legal risks for its reputation,” NSAIBIA explained.

It is noted that Wagner has been confronted by lawsuits by human rights groups for charges of human rights violations.