Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The Wagner Group's Plan for State Capture in the Central African Republic

 The Sentry published in June 2023 a 74-page report titled "Architects of Terror: The Wagner Group's Blueprint for State Capture in the Central African Republic."

Although written before the mutiny of the Wagner Group in Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated publicly that the Wagner Group will remain in Africa, including in the Central African Republic.  The Sentry points out that CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera's inner circle retains control of operations within the capital of Bangui, but the Wagner Group has managed to establish miliary control of operations outside Bangui.

The study argues that the Wagner Group "has perfected a blueprint for state capture, supporting a criminalized state hijacked by the Central African president and his inner circle, amassing military power, securing access to and plundering precious minerals, and subduing the population with terror."