Three Russian mercenaries (right) in northern Mali. Photo: Associated Press
Russia is increasing its military presence in West Africa by delivering tanks, artillery and advanced electronic warfare systems to regions where Africa Corps, a new Russian military formation, is gaining influence.
Source: Associated Press
Details: Journalists report that Russia is using cargo ships flying its flag to transport military equipment to West African ports. Notably, the Baltic Leader and the Patria, both under sanctions, unloaded at the port of Conakry in Guinea at the end of May. The equipment was then transported by land to Mali.
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The shipments include tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery systems (including 152 mm guns), electronic warfare systems, Spartak armoured vehicles and military infrastructure such as tanker trucks and boats marked in Russian.
Satellite images also showed a Su-24 fighter jet at the airbase in Bamako. The Associated Press notes that, unlike military groups nominally subordinate to local armies, Africa Corps seems to have been granted autonomous aerial support.
Read more: Women no longer go out to work, fearing rape by Wagner mercenaries: how Russia is colonising Africa
“We intend to expand our cooperation with African countries in all spheres, with an emphasis on economic cooperation and investments,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This cooperation includes sensitive areas linked to defence and security.”
After the disbandment of the Wagner Group in 2023 and the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin established Africa Corps – a new regiment that took over operations on the continent. The European Union found that it is controlled by Unit 29155, a covert unit of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) known for sabotage and contract killings in Europe.
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