Why Did Russia Fail to Recruit Syrian Mercenaries to Fight in Central Africa?

Russia continues its policy of recruiting Syrian mercenaries in new countries as it seeks to find a foothold outside its borders by exploiting the extreme economic destitution of these elements.

It is disturbing that Moscow's security interventions in war-torn countries are keen to involve Syrians in battles "in which they have no camels" and to finance and train them for activities that amount to war crimes.

All this is done under the eye, supervision and facilitation of the Syrian regime, which allows them to move from their towns to their last assembly point, the Russian air base "Khmeimim " air base in preparation for their transfer abroad.

 

New Surprise

A new surprise on the Syrian street was Russia's desire to bring new groups of Syrian mercenaries and send them to the Central African Republic.

Since mid-June 2021, five-month contracts have expired, signed by Russia with Syrian mercenaries sent to Libya after recruiting them from various parts of Syria.

A Russian officer in charge of Syrian mercenaries in Libya has offered them a new contract to fight this time in Central Africa, According to Syrian media.

"The Russian officer in charge of Libya has offered to sign a new contract and send us to Central Africa," the local “al-Suwayda 24” network quoted a Syrian mercenary fighting in Libya as saying.

"Some have agreed and have been transported through al-Jafra air base there, and the majority are afraid and waiting to return to Syria."

Suwayda 24 said Russia sent 4 to 5 average flights each month from Syria through the Khmeimim base to Libya.

Each flight has 300 fighters, but since early April 2021 Moscow has reduced it to one or two flights per month, with a salary of $1,200 per month for the fighter.

They must obtain security approvals from Bashar al-Assad's military intelligence service to travel outside Syria, secured by recruitment security companies with provincial offices to attract young people.

Suwayda 24 confirmed that it had obtained a document containing the names of some 20,000 Syrians who had registered in security companies attracting mercenaries to Libya, after receiving security approvals, figures that are increasing and indicate that Russia has an army of mercenaries in Syria.

The local Frat Post network also monitored the return of 15 mercenaries from Deir el-Zor province who were in the Libyan area of Al-Jafra and arrived in their province from Khmeimim airport.

On July 6, 2021, the network reported that the returnees refused to renew the contract with Moscow for another five months, because the new contract provides for their fight alongside Russian security companies in the Central African Republic.

The Frat Post revealed that the reasons for the direct return were the ill-treatment of these mercenaries and the legalization of combat allocations, as well as the risk of being kidnapped by armed militias there for ransom.

 

Russian Enthusiasm

Russia is facing international accusations by the United States, Britain and France of making efforts to "seize power" in Central Africa through its mercenaries.

The Italian newspaper “Negresia” said in a recent investigative report: The Armed Forces of Central Africa hired Russian and Rwandan troops and mercenaries of Wagner, in repelling the attack of rebel armed groups, which at the end of 2020 took control of more than 80 percent of the country's territory.

Russian mercenaries led by Wagner work alongside Central African Republic forces and are accused of human rights violations against civilians and obstructing United Nations peacekeeping efforts.

Press reports confirm that Russian businessman Yevgeny Brigozin, who is close to President Vladimir Putin, is the owner of Wagner, which has become more like Putin's secret army.

Wagner is fighting in Russia's interests in many countries around the world, with Washington listing them on the sanctions list for Russian institutions in June 2017.

At present, Wagner is recruiting mercenaries through local agents in Syria and is operating in full coordination with the Russian government, carrying out security operations abroad amounting to "war crimes" on behalf of Russian government forces to evade legal liability for such operations.

Russia has troops in Central Africa training its army, with the roots of the mineral-rich republic's relationship with Moscow dating back to 2018, when Russia sent five military officers and 170 trainers to help train its armed forces.

But Central Africa has been embroiled in a bloody conflict since March 2013, when Séléka militants, mostly Muslims, overthrew President François Bozizé, who ruled between 2003 and 2013, championed by French-backed Christian anti-balaka militias. 

But international pressure forced Séléka leaders to resign in January 2014 after taking power in March 2013.

A peace agreement was subsequently signed in Khartoum, Sudan, in February 2019, between the Central African government and armed groups that control most areas of the country.

The agreement was marred by "delays" in the implementation of the terms, which threatened to be cancelled as open battles continued on all fronts.

In the face of these data, Russia seems eager to increase the number of mercenaries in Central Africa, at a time when it plans to send an additional 600 troops to its forces there, Russian soldier training officer Alexander Ivanov said in late June 2021.

With the arrival of the new additional batch, the number of Russian troops in Central Africa will rise to 1,135, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported.

Russia's need for new mercenaries in Central Africa is evidenced by the fact that Wagner's mercenaries, in addition to training the army there, are active in guarding dignitaries and protecting gold, diamond and uranium installations in conflict zones.

 

Scandalous Recruitment

Nasr al-Yousef, a political analyst and expert on Russian affairs, outlined the nature of Russia's current strategy in the way African countries intervene.

"The former Soviet Union was instructing Cuba to recruit young people of African nature," al-Yousef told al-Estiklal, adding: "This is what Russia is doing today in Central Africa by recruiting Syrians, it does not want to force the Russians so that the intervention is not scandalous and can also disprove mercenaries that they are not from Russia."

The political analyst attributed russia's reliance on recruitment from Syria to what he said was "cheaper to recruit due to the difficult economic conditions in their country, against high costs if Moscow wants to attract fighters from Russia, Ukraine or Belarus."

He said the Syrian's presence in Central Africa is a "cover for indirect Russian intervention," but "this intervention is scandalous to Russian opponents who know what Wagner is doing."

"When investigative journalists went to find out what Wagner was doing in Central Africa, Wagner killed them," the Russian expert said.

"UN investigators have found that a group of Russian mercenaries killed civilians, looted homes, and killed worshippers at a Central African mosque in a major military operation in early 2021," the New York Times reported.

"UN investigators have concluded that Russian mercenaries deployed in the country on behalf of unarmed military advisers led government forces into battle during an offensive to drive rebels out of several towns in January and February 2021," the newspaper's report said in late June 2021.

According to the newspaper, in addition to committing violations, Russian mercenaries have established their presence in the main mining centre of the impoverished African country, which has large diamond reserves.

 

Fighting in the Unknown

A CNN survey report, in collaboration with the independent international organization The Centri, also confirmed that groups of Russian and Syrian mercenaries participating with government forces attacked a mosque in the central African city of Mbabari, killing about 20 civilians who had fled to escape fighting and shelling.

According to sources in the network's report published in mid-June 2021, these mercenaries claimed to be chasing members of the Silkia group holed up in the mosque, but "one of the survivors of the massacre, Fatouma (alias), confirmed that all those at the scene were innocent."

Russia has documented its relationship with current Central African President Faustin Archang Touadera, who has been in office since 2016 after winning a second term on December 27, 2019.

But the president, who controls only the capital Bangui, while armed rebel groups hold about two-thirds of the country, has allowed Russian companies to dominate gold and diamonds.

He also allowed Russian mercenaries to be brought in to protect him, given the insecurity and competition for power in the country, which has seen four successful coups and two failed coups since 1979, opening the door wide for Russia's strengthening of its influence and economic interests in Africa.

It seems clear that these Syrian mercenaries have become, as Syrian journalist Hassan al-Sharif sees it, "the unknown fighters and in a strange environment in its language and its inhabitants, such as Central Africa, unlike Libya, which did not face difficulties in terms of adaptation."

"Russia will not lose these mercenaries at the moment, even if they refuse to fight in new destinations and countries, because they need them at home in Syria within the equation of the Militia conflict with Iran," he said.

"Russia needs those, mostly fugitives and defaulters, to guard the gas and oil lines in Deir al-Zor, Hama and Homs, which Russia controls and seeks to invest more in the future."