Russian private military contractor Wagner Group is engaged in illicit activities that undermine the rule of law in Sudan, the Troika – the US, UK and Norway – for the North African country said Monday.

British Ambassador Giles Leifer, Norwegian Ambassador Therese Loken Gheziel and US Charge d'Affaires Lucy Tamlyn made the accusation in a joint statement shared by the US Embassy in Sudan on social media.

“In Sudan, the Wagner Group, a Private Military Company closely linked to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, spreads disinformation on social media and engages in illicit activities connected to gold-mining. Wagner Group activities undermine the good governance and respect for rule of law that the Sudanese people have been fighting for since the (2018-2019) revolution,” the statement said.

“Sudan has the sovereign right to decide on its own foreign relationships. We will always respect that. We will continue to support the Sudanese people as they strive to fulfil the aspirations of the revolution,” it added.

Russian private security companies such as Wagner, Patriot, Sewa Security Service and RSB are known to have a presence in Africa.

Wagner, which has the largest presence, operates in Angola, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Turkiye has also decried Wagner’s activities in Libya./aa