Russian mercenaries of wagner group suffered heavy casualties in a new wave of fighting Come in government and rebel troops for control of the gold mines Central African Republic (RCA), according to information from Guardian.
The clashes take place in a context of growing instability in the country, which in recent years has become one of the main centers of influence of the Kremlin in sub-Saharan Africa.
In RCA, the Wagner group defends the regime of Faustin-Archange Touadéra successive rebel attacks on the capital, Bangui, and have been accused of human rights abuses.
According to Guardianclashes between rebels and government troops began two weeks ago in a town near the border with Cameroon and Chad. Last weekend she went to the Sudanese border, where they estimate that between seven and 17 fighters from the mercenary group lost their livesaccording to rebel sources quoted by the British media.
“We have lost two [muertos] and many wounded, but we have defeated them and confiscated many military trucks. We ambushed them and they fell into the trap,” he said. Ahmadou Alia senior leader of the rebel Coalition of Patriots for Change, in a telephone interview with Guardian.
“It was a battle between us and the Russians. They only used government troops to legitimize things. The Russians have taken over the whole country. They are everywhere: they guard the borders and are seen wherever there are resources [valiosos]. They have stolen all our resources,” Ali added to Guardian.
A source close to the CAR national army seen by the outlet said seven Russians were killed in the ambush, one of Wagner’s biggest individual losses in Africa.
Recently, the Department of State American denounced that the Wagner Group is obtaining “illicit profits” in Africa that could be being used to finance the war in Ukraine.
“(Russian President) Vladimir Putin and the Wagner Group, backed by the Kremlin and controlled by Yevgeniy Prigozhinis it so actively undermining the independence of our African partners for the sake of illicit profits,” he told the news agency efe a spokesperson for the department.
The American Journal Political published that the United States believes that the Wagner Group is expanding its mining projects in Africa to raise millions and shore up its military operations in Ukraine.
Citing a diplomatic cable as a source, the news outlet notes that Wagner has significantly expanded his work in the Central African Republic, with profits of almost 1 billion dollars that could be used to acquire new weapons and fighters.
Wagner settled at RCA in 2018, creating a cultural center and closing several deals to help secure mining sites, including the gold mine. ndassima located near the city of Bambariin the center of the country.
Since then, Wagner has turned what was once a small mine into a huge complex encompassing eight production zones in various stages of development, according to the cable.
“Countries experiencing Wagner group deployments within their borders are in poorer, weaker and less secure”, pointed out the State Department spokesman, who assured that the US remains “fully committed” to partnering with the Central African people.
“We will continue to work closely with the government of the Central African Republic to achieve our shared goals of a peaceful and prosperous Central African Republic that protects human rights and access to justice,” he added.
The White House reported precisely that the United States would impose new sanctions against the group of Russian mercenaries Wagner for its involvement in the war in Ukraine and would designate it as “transnational criminal organization”.
White House Security Council spokesman John Kirbyexplained that this designation opens a series of possibilities to continue sanctioning this group and its allies in the world.
“Wagner is becoming a rival center of power against the Russian armed forces and other Russian ministries,” said Kirby, who stressed that the US estimates that the group, which recruits guerrillas in Russian prisons, would have some 50,000 troops deployed in Ukraine, of which 10,000 would be contractors and 40,000 ex-convicts.
(With information from EFE)
Keep reading:
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80% of the prisoners recruited by the Wagner Group to fight in Ukraine are dead or missing
The United States designated the Wagner Group, Putin’s mercenaries, as a “transnational criminal organization.”
Source-www.infobae.com