The killing of the founder of the “Wagner” security company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in the Russian region of Tver raised several questions about the future of the company’s elements in several African countries, including Libya, which represents the second Arab country in which the company’s elements are deployed after Syria, according to observers.
The killing of the founder of the “Wagner” security company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a result of the crash of a private plane he was traveling in in the Russian region of Tver, raised several questions about the future of the company’s members in several African countries, including Libya, which represents the second Arab country in which “Wagner” members are deployed after Syria, according to monitors.
“Wagner” elements are currently active in Libya in the city of Sirte (450 km east of Tripoli) and are stationed at Al-Qardabiya Air Base and its sea port, in addition to Al-Jafra Air Base. They have expanded to the southwest, where they were stationed at Brak Al-Shati Air Base (700 km south of Tripoli).
The security company “Wagner” participated in the aggression carried out by the eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar on the capital, Tripoli, in April 2019, and its withdrawal at the time from the fighting fronts at the end of May 2020 caused the collapse of the eastern Libyan forces, and they retreated to the Sirte-Jufra front.
Despite the repeated demands of the Libyan parties, as well as the “5 + 5” military committee, to remove foreign mercenaries, headed by “Wagner”, from their country, this has not been achieved on the ground.
The Libyan army affiliated with the Chiefs of Staff in the western region announced several times that it had monitored the movements of "Wagner" mercenaries at the Sirte and Al-Jufra air bases.
Visit of the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense
One day before the crash of the plane on which the “Wagner” commander was on board, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunis Bek Yevkirov visited the city of Benghazi and met with Haftar, according to a brief statement published by the Libyan Eastern Forces.
According to Libyan observers, the visit reinforced the hypothesis that Moscow had actually begun sending messages of reassurance to all allies that Wagner would be under Moscow's supervision.
In this regard, Libyan military expert Adel Abdel Kafi told Anadolu that the visit of the Russian Deputy Defense Minister to Benghazi “came within the framework of transferring orders from the Russian Ministry of Defense to Khalifa Haftar regarding the expected changes to the new leadership of (Wagner) and the mechanisms for dealing with them.”
He added that Russia “continues to support the (Wagner) groups present in Libya and implement its plans, which it seeks to expand to other countries such as Sudan, carry out coups in several African countries, the most recent of which was in Niger, and overthrow regimes loyal to the United States of America and France and replace them with regimes loyal to Russia.”
Abdul Kafi revealed that "the number of (Wagner) fighters in Libya is between 2,000 and 2,500 mercenaries, and they are deployed in several military sites and bases, and they own (Mig-29) planes and air defense systems, and their presence is considered a curse that befell Libya."
Not just a military group
For his part, Libyan political analyst Faraj Farkash told Anadolu, “(Wagner) is not only a military group, but rather represents a group of business, trade, financial, investment, and exploration companies.”
He added, “(Wagner) was able to penetrate many African countries and some European countries and obtain generous returns for its services.”
Farkash added: “Therefore, it is not in Russia’s interest to abandon it so easily, and what happened recently (the death of Prigozhin) is only an attempt to change (Wagner’s) leadership and rearrange it.”
He pointed out that “the visit of the Russian Deputy Defense Minister to Benghazi represents the beginning of the campaign to change the leadership, which has become a burden on Putin and his regime.”
Farkash believed that the visit “also serves as an announcement from the Ministry of Defense that it now directly adopts continued support for this group, which may change its name and structure.”
Farkash expected that “the group will become more organized and more loyal to the Russian Ministry of Defense and to Russia’s goals in Africa, especially in the countries of the Sahel and the Sahara, for which Libya is now an important and strategic launching pad by linking it to Russia’s well-known bases in Syria.”
On August 23, the Russian Federal Aviation Corporation, Rossaviatsa, published a list of the names of the victims of the civil plane crash, including Prigozhin.
On August 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on all Wagner operatives and other Russian military contractors to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian state.
On August 27, the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Prigozhin's death, after announcing the results of the genetic test for those killed in a private plane crash in the Tver region.
The committee stated in a statement that the identities of the ten people who died had been identified.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounces the wave of coups in Africa
Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Niger and Gabon. Africa has recorded 8 coups since 2020. A strong return of the military which goes badly for the Secretary General of the United Nations.
For Antonio Guterres, these putsches can not be the alternative to the evils that plague the countries of the Continent.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations :
"Many countries face deep-seated governance problems, but military governments are not the solution. They make the problems worse. They cannot solve the crisis. They can only make it worse. I urge all countries to act quickly to establish credible democratic institutions and the rule of law,” said the UN Secretary-General.
Antonio Guterres had "firmly" condemned the putsch on Wednesday "as a means of resolving the post-election crisis" in Gabon.
Gabon's new strongman, General Brice Oligui Nguema, will be enthroned on Monday as president of a "transitional" power for an as yet indefinite period, but the opposition urges the putschists to recognize the "victory" of its presidential candidate instead.