The International Crisis Group posted on 23 March 2023 a 38-minute podcast titled "Russia's Wagner in Africa" with Alan Boswell and Julia Steers, Nairobi bureau chief for VICE News.
This highly informative podcast offers a close look at the different models of Wagner Group activities in Africa and compares them with its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the case of the Central African Republic, Wagner controls the mining sector, customs operations, and keeps the government in power. It has been much less effective in Mali and in Sudan is engaged primarily in commercial gold mining.
Wagner's overall goals in Africa include selling weapons, earning profits from mining operations, and promoting Russian foreign policy. By comparison, its operations in the Ukraine are supporting Russia's military operations. Wagner's recruits for the Ukraine are primarily from Russian prisons. For Africa, Wagner recruits at the leadership level tend to be former personnel from Russian security services while the recruits are mostly young Russians seeking adventure in Africa.
