Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed
13
| Year of first involvement | Country | Nature of involvement | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Mozambique | Temporary involvement | Wagner fighters started arriving in Mozambique in September 2019,[1] after an agreement on security and energy between Presidents Nyusi and Putin, shortly before the October 2019
Mozambique national election.[2] Wagner provided a personal protection force for the President, and was later deployed in an operation to counter Islamist extremists in Cabo Delgado.[3] This was a major failure[4] and Wagner fighters had to withdraw south by November that year.[5] In addition, the Wagner Network offered political assistance to Nyusi’s party via an illegitimate electoral monitoring mission conducted by the Association For Free Research And International Cooperation (AFRIC).[6] The International Anticrisis Centre (IAC),[7] another Prigozhin-linked entity, also carried out questionable polling in the country in support of Nyusi’s Frelimo party.[8] |
- ↑ CIR open-source research, which also cites ‘Tropas russas em Cabo Delgado’, Moz24Hors, 13 September 2019 (accessed via The Internet Archive)
- ↑ CIR open-source research, which also cites ‘Mozambique, Russia sign energy, security deals’, France24, 22 August
- ↑ Crisis Group, ‘Stemming the Insurrection in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado’, 11 June 2021 (accessed 11 July 2023)
- ↑ Geopolitical Monitor, ‘Russian Mercenaries: A String of Failures in Africa’, 24 August 2020 (accessed 11 July 2023)
- ↑ ‘Bloodshed and retreat from Mozambique for Putin's private army the Wagner Group’, The Times, 25 November 2019
- ↑ US Department of the Treasury, ‘Treasury Escalates Sanctions Against the Russian Government's Attempts to Influence US Elections’, 15 April 2021 (accessed 16 July 2023)
- ↑ US Department of the Treasury, ‘Treasury Escalates Sanctions Against the Russian Government’s Attempts to Influence US Elections’, 15 April 2021 (accessed 16 July 2023)
- ↑ Mozambique elections: Russians help Frelimo backers to break the law—CIP Eleicées, Club of Mozambique, 10 October 2019
