Wagner's Mercenaries Overthrow France From Its Colonies in Africa

A Russian newspaper reported that Wagner's mercenary forces had occupied Africa and expelled France after recent attempts to establish their feet on the continent for many years.

The newspaper Lenta.ru highlighted how France had lost influence in its former African colonies and spoke of Russia’s role in the issue.

The influence of Russian armed elements has recently increased in Africa, with the United Nations accusing the Wagner group of committing violations in the conflict-ridden Central African Republic.

 

Need for Choice

It said that The Russian mercenaries of Wagner, a paramilitary organization, helped Syrian regime forces regain control of the Syrian city of Palmyra from ISIS.

Wagner also helped the Central African Republic counter a range of rebel groups, and Wagner's mercenaries are now heading to Mali.

The response of the inhabitants of an African country (unnamed by the newspaper) in France's sphere of influence to the issue of the arrival of these military mercenaries was: "We had to choose, and our choice is Wagner."

Wagner's mercenaries will help Malian government forces fight "Islamic extremists," the paper said.

The unexpected appearance of Russians in another African country has caused a negative reaction from Paris, which fears that Moscow will further strengthen its presence on the continent.

Wagner has already become an influential force in the Central African Republic, the latter previously considered a French satellite.

Russian writer Dmitry Plotnikov said Wagner had already been "recruited" in Mali during the nine-year civil war.

In 2012, Tuareg tribes revolted in a former French colony. They declared the independent state of Azawad of the Republic of Mali, which is located in the north of the country, and began a war with the central government.

The rebellion was soon divided by conflicts between secular and Islamist leaders. The radicals won thanks to the active assistance of international terrorist organizations, primarily al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), the paper said.

France pledged to solve the problems of its former African colony: In 2013, Operation Serval was launched, with the French deploying nearly 3,000 troops and quickly leading Islamists into the desert.

By 2014, they seemed completely defeated, however, the operation's leadership realized that there was only one appearance of victory. Although Tuareg rebels have been scattered in the desert, they are still ready for armed struggle.

Serval was therefore replaced by Operation Barkhane, and the French army was deployed in African countries: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. But 5,000 French soldiers were unable to overcome the "terrorist elements.”

According to the author, in May 2021, the army led by Colonel Assimi Guetta came to power in Mali and immediately began searching for other allies, and his choice fell on the Russian Wagner mercenaries, familiar to Africans, because of what happened in Libya and the Central African Republic.

Rumors surfaced in the summer about the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali, but since the beginning of the fall, news has been circulating. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed the appearance of Wagner's soldiers.

In response, his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Russia that it must bear the consequences of its presence in Africa. Josep Borrell, representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made a similar statement.

"Russia has previously avoided paying attention to its soldiers in Africa, as the countries where Wagner is a former colony of France should therefore not have any active action by any foreign specialists because Paris will interpret this as an attack on its sphere of influence."

But Russia is now not afraid to say that it can go into this area and challenge France, which has been carefully building its influence in the region for a long time.

Paris's influence on the former colonies is gradually declining, fraught with serious economic and strategic losses for France.

 

Cosmetic Surgeries

In an interview with the newspaper, Yevgeny Korendyasov, former Russian ambassador to Mali and head of the Russian-African Relations Study Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the continent is increasingly taking an independent course on the international scene.

"Ignoring Africa in modern geopolitical and economic space is counterproductive," he said.

Korendyasov said France was "sensitive" to the emergence of Russian troops in the African region.

According to him, the Elysee Palace responds hostilely to reports of the introduction of Wagner in Mali, where French authorities fear losing their leadership positions in the region.

According to the author of the article, France officially liberated its colonies in the 1960s, but it still has a tremendous impact on its economy and development.

French politicians create economic and social conditions in which former colonies are forced to remain loyal, with Paris providing them with the necessary resources.

For a long time, Paris had been building relations with its former colonies on the basis of the system of guardianship and informal nepotism, the so-called "Françafrique."

French politician and diplomat Jacques Foccart founded the system, dubbed "Mr. African" by journalists, for his active role in dealing with the continent.

According to the agreements reached during the establishment of the Françafrique system, France has acquired the exclusive right to extract natural resources in the region and local markets, Plotnikov said.

At the same time, the system was based on building personal relationships with Foccart and his colleagues with African leaders.

Contracts were not concluded without the use of bribery, corruption and other illegal operations. Because of this, the regime has been regularly criticized by the international community.

The author commented that during Emmanuel Macron's presidency of the French Elysee Palace, steps had been taken in the African direction. This is where Yevgeny Korendyasov calls it "cosmetic touches."

For example, Macron apologized for the brutality and crimes of French soldiers during the 1994 genocide of Tutsis (one of three peoples living in the African Great Lakes region) in Rwanda.

He also asked for forgiveness from Algerians who fought alongside France during the 1954-1962 war, who had not been evacuated from the country after the "end of the conflict."

However, such gestures do not change the course taken by the French Elysee Palace.

Quite the contrary, it aims to get new loyalist groups ready to support French hegemony in the region in the future.