Russian mercenary companies settle in Africa

The Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary conglomerate that hires out its combat-skilled operators to shady governments around the world, has recently made itself indispensable to regimes in Africa. But the mercenaries are not just a bunch of mercenaries. In Africa, they are perfecting a new form of international operation – a corporate mix of military aggression and private sector business – that disrupts the global economic order.

The group is perhaps best known for its killings in Ukraine, where it has been stationed since Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea in 2014. There are some 1,000 mercenaries in eastern Ukraine today, most of whom are former Russian and Belarusian special forces soldiers. Although much is unknown about the legal status and ownership of the company, it is clear that it cooperates closely with the Kremlin. Shortly after the company got its start nearly a decade ago, Wagner’s troops were fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria, then alongside the general. Khalifa Haftaron the side of Libya, both in favor of Russian interests.