THE GREY ZONE - Russia’s military, mercenary and criminal engagement in Africa

10 THE GREY ZONE • RUSSIA’S MILITARY, MERCENARY AND CRIMINAL ENGAGEMENT IN AFRICA Russian business and political interests in Africa Much in the same way that Russian organized crime has evolved in its relationship with the Russian state over the past three decades, so has the relationship between Russia’s business sector and the state. [...] In its operations in CAR, in particular, the diplomatic and military engagement of the Russian state and the operations of the Wagner Group appear to have worked in lockstep. [...] The evolution of Russian organized crime in Russia The 1990s have been described as the ‘glory days’ of Russian gangsterism.41 After the fall of the Soviet Union, as state assets were privatized and the weakened Russian state lacked the resources to effectively enforce order, criminality and violence exploded. [...] In a senior member of the MOUNI Party, which is part of 2021, Midas was accused by the UN Panel of Experts on the government coalition.211 The party has consistently CAR of working with the Union for Peace in the Central CASE STUDIES: WAGNER’S OPERATIONS IN AFRICA 53 US sanctions lists as a former employee of the Internet Research Agency, the infamous ‘troll farm’ with which Prigozhin sought to in. [...] © Abdullah Doma/AFP via Getty Images If the Wagner intervention in Mozambique had grown into In the earlier stages of its deployment in 2019, Wagner a long-term presence, the group could potentially have had supported the LAAF in expanding its dominion in developed interests in mining and natural resources as it the south-west of the country against resistance from has done in CAR and Sudan.