The Russian private military company known as the Wagner Group is halting operations across Africa. Once a primary instrument of Kremlin's global hybrid operations, the Wagner Group is now effectively ceasing to exist. The group has announced its withdrawal from Mali and, more broadly, from the African continent, report Telegram channels Razgruzka Vagnera, Prigozhin's Cap and the Russian human rights resource Gulagu.net.

Wagner has been compelled to exit Mali following the military junta's decision not to renew their contract. This expulsion from Africa marks the climax of the process set in motion after the PMC's mutiny—a decisive blow by the Kremlin against this once-unruly force.

"Over these more than three years, commanders and fighters of the Wagner PMC committed various atrocities... Our sources within Wagner helped gather data on mass grave sites of those tortured to death at this terrorist organization's base, backed by Russian authorities. The materials have been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office of the ICC," reported Gulagu.net.

The process of Wagner's withdrawal from Africa is not a sudden development. Previously, the group relinquished its positions in Syria, and in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, Wagner members have gradually been supplanted by the so-called "African Corps," a unit specially created by Russia's Ministry of Defense. Essentially, the Kremlin is not just removing Wagner but rapidly replacing it with state-controlled structures.

According to the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, a resource linked to Russian intelligence services, the PMC will soon have to completely hand over its "operations" and leave the continent. Although there are verbal promises of a new base in Belarus for the mercenaries, these claims lack confirmation for now.

Wagner's exit from Africa represents the final chapter in the dramatic saga of the relationship between dictator Vladimir Putin and his formerly favored 'private' army. Wagner's mercenaries played a critical role in Russia's aggression against Ukraine, engaging in some of the bloodiest battles, including the assault on Bakhmut. However, it was in June 2023 that the group, led by its head Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a daring rebellion, marching on Moscow—an uprising that challenged Putin’s grasp over the nation's affairs, marking a turning point.

After "agreements" mediated by the Belarusian president, Prigozhin called off the revolt. But his fate was sealed. In August 2023, a plane carrying Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, the second-in-command of Wagner, crashed. It's widely believed that the elimination of Wagner's leadership was orchestrated on Kremlin's orders, as a revenge for the mutiny—a fact barely disguised within Russia itself.

Now, with the physical removal of its leaders and the transfer of their functions to Kremlin loyalists, the Russian government systematically dismantles its private army. Key regions of influence see the displacement of Wagner by state-controlled entities.

  Africa, Mali, Wagner Group

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