The Russian newspaper, Vedomosti recently reported that Russia is forming a new group called the African Legion. This group will replace another Russian force called Wagner, which has been operating in Africa. The African Legion is expected to be fully formed by the summer of 2024 and will be present in five African countries.
What's Happening?
The newspaper got this information from a source in a private security company called RCB Group. This company trains security forces in Burkina Faso. According to the source, the African Legion has already been deployed or will be deployed in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Niger. The new group will be directly connected to the military and will be supervised by General Yunusbek Yevkurov, who is a Russian Deputy Minister of Defense.
Where Did They Come From?
The African Legion is made up of former members of the Wagner military company and individual fighters who left that organization. After the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, stepped down in August 2023, work began on creating this new group. One of the fighters who used to be in Wagner and is now in Mali said that they started receiving funding from the Russian Guard. In December, some changes were made that allowed the Russian Guard to include volunteer formations in its ranks.
Other Russian Forces in Africa
According to a source close to the Ministry of Defense, besides the African Legion, there will be other law enforcement agencies and private security services companies linked to Russian companies operating in Africa. This means that Russia is expanding its presence in the continent.
Recruitment Process
The recruitment process for the African Legion started in December, not only in Africa but also in Russia. There were advertisements published on military channels on the Telegram app, inviting people to join. The ads promised that recruits would serve under experienced commanders, receive salaries in foreign currencies, and get medical care and other benefits.
What Experts Say
A researcher named Grigory Lukyanov from the Russian Academy of Sciences believes that the African Legion is different from other security companies that used to operate in Africa. He thinks that the Legion's activities in the Sahel region would not be possible without the help of countries like Libya or Algeria, which have airports and access to the sea. This might explain why General Yevkurov met with General Khalifa Haftar in Libya and Moscow.
Russia is forming a new group called the African Legion to replace the Wagner forces in Africa. This group will be present in five African countries and will be supervised by General Yevkurov. It's interesting to see how Russia is expanding its presence in Africa. We'll have to wait and see how things develop in the future!
Source: Russian press
