The departure of hundreds of Wagner PMC fighters from the Central African Republic (CAR) is a rotation, not a final withdrawal of private military company units from the country. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of the Central African Republic, Albert Yaloke Mokpem.
“Some left, while others will come,” a representative of the CAR authorities said at a press conference, stressing that this is not about the “final withdrawal” of the mercenaries.
The fact that several hundred Wagner PMC fighters left the country in recent days was reported by the sources of the publication. Young Africa and Reuters. According to Jeune Afrique, at least 500-600 mercenaries returned to Moscow.
How many representatives of Wagner PMCs remained in the country is unknown, Reuters notes. The agency writes that until recently there were up to 1,900 Russian mercenaries in the CAR, including the Wagnerites.
The question of the work of PMC Wagner in Africa, where the Russian Federation has been actively increasing its influence in recent years, arose after the rebellion of the founder of a private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with RT a few days after the rebellion, said that Russian military instructors would continue to work in the region. The minister did not specify whether it was Wagner PMC mercenaries, but noted that the authorities of the Central African Republic and Mali officially appealed to this private military company with a request to ensure the safety of their leadership.
According to The Wall Street Journal, after the mercenary uprising in Russia, the Kremlin announced to the authorities in Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali that it had taken control of the Wagner PMC. Reuters sources reported that during the uprising, the Syrian authorities and the Russian military took a number of urgent measures to force Prigozhin’s mercenary units to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry. The fighters who refused were taken out of the country.
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2023-07-09 10:40:00
