No panic in Africa over revolt, Wagner will continue operations in Mali, CAR: Lavrov

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday countries in Africa which dealt with Wagner were not panicked after the short-lived insurrection by mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Lavrov said in an interview with state broadcaster RT: “I have not seen any sign of panic or any sign of change in these African states’ relations with Russia.”

He stressed that the mutiny would not alter Russia’s relationship with countries in Africa: “This situation cannot change the strategic relationship between Russia and its African partners.”

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As for African countries that hired Wagner, Lavrov said those countries also had direct security cooperation with Moscow.

Lavrov said that Wagner group members will continue operations in Mali and Central African Republic (CAR). He pointed out that several hundred Russian servicemen who are members of Wagner were working in CAR as instructors and said: “This work will, of course, continue.”

Wagner Group has seen its presence significantly grow across Africa in the past decade. It has been involved in multiple African countries, including Libya, Sudan, CAR, and Mozambique, among others. Its activities typically range from providing security and military advice to local governments, training local forces, to direct involvement in combat situations.

In the Central African Republic, Wagner Group has been instrumental in providing security to the embattled government and helping it combat the rebellion. Similarly, in Libya, the group has been implicated in fighting on behalf of General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army, illustrating its willingness to engage in combat roles.

Those engagements in Africa not only underscored Russia's expanding influence in the continent but also highlighted the increasingly critical role of private military companies like Wagner in executing state objectives in international geopolitical engagements.

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