In the near future, the influence of Russian mercenaries on local politicians may remain at the current level.
The Russian private military company Wagner still has influence in Africa. There remains a significant number of mercenaries on the continent. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced this on Monday, September 25, Voice of America reports.
He noted that a month has passed since the death of the head of PMC Wagner, and now the United States does not see significant changes in relations between the PMC and the Kremlin or signs that Moscow has taken over the group’s operations throughout Africa.
“I think in the future you will see some competition in their ranks for who will be the next leader. I think you will also see that the Russian government may try to replace the Wagner PMC with another element, or use Russian troops to maintain their interests on the continent,” Austin said.
The head of the Pentagon clarified that the Wagner mercenaries are likely to maintain their presence in Africa in the near future, but it will be difficult for them to do so in the medium and long term in the absence of support from the Kremlin.
An Il-76 military transport plane crashed in Mali, which, according to Russian Telegram channels, may belong to the private military company Wagner.
Less than 1,000 Wagner PMC mercenaries remain in Belarus.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.