Accuse dey on top di head of Russia Wagner mercenary force say dem get different commercial and military ties to Sudan, but di group don deny any involvement for di current conflict inside di kontri.
Di founder, Yevgeny Prighozin – wey get close links to President Vladimir Putin – don tok say “not a single Wagner PMC [private military company] fighter dey present inside Sudan” for over two years.
We neva find evidence wey show say Russian mercenaries dey currently inside di kontri.
But evidence of Wagner former activities inside Sudan, and oga Prighozin operations for di kontri dey targeted by both US and EU sanctions.
Which interests Russian mercenaries get for Sudan?
Gold-mining deals
For 2017, di president of Sudan den, Omar al-Bashir sign some deals wit di Russian goment during one visit to Moscow.
Dis include one agreement for Russia to set up one naval base for Port Sudan for di Red Sea, plus also one “concession agreements on gold mining between Russian company M Invest and di Sudanese Ministry of Minerals”.
Di US Treasury allege say M Invest and one subsidiary group, Meroe Gold, na cover up for di activities wey di Wagner Group dey do for Sudan, wey be Africa third-biggest gold producer.
“Yevgeniy Prigozhin and im network dey exploit Sudan natural resources for personal gain and dey spread bad influence around di world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tok for 2020.
US sanctions specifically target both M Invest and Meroe.
According to one investigation wey CNN do, dem dey transport gold overland to Central African Republic, wia Wagner dey known to dey operate – exports no dey recorded for Sudan official trade data.
Dem don also smuggle big amounts of gold through one network of military airports, according to one report last year for Daily Telegraph.
Wetin else Wagner bin dey do for Sudan?
Since 2017, Russian and international sources don publish images wey appear to locate Russian mercenaries inside Sudan.
Dis foto show dem dey act for different roles, including training Sudanese soldiers or allegedly helping the security forces crack down on protests.
Di BBC neva independently verify dis images.
For 2021, one Wagner-linked Telegram channel publish images wey feature one unnamed top Wagner commander wey dey award Sudanese soldiers memorabilia for ceremony wey dem do two years earlier.
WIA DIS FOTO COME FROM,TELEGRAM
And for July 2022, dis channel distribute one video wey allegedly show Wagner mercenaries dey conduct parachute-landing exercises for Sudanese forces.
Di same source linked to di Instagram profile of one anonymous Russian mercenary, wey call imsef “freelancer” and dey share stories of im exploits inside Sudan for posts from August and October 2021.
For one 2020 Wagner propaganda action film, dem feature Sudan as one of di kontries wia di mercenaries dey operate.
How influential di Wagner be?
Di US Treasury say di Wagner Group don conduct “paramilitary operations, support for preserving authoritarian regimes, and exploitation of natural resources”.
“Firstly, for 2018, dem get about 100 men wey actively dey train Sudanese military forces, and di relationship don grow from dia,” Dr Joana de Deus Pereira of di UK-based Royal United Services Institute tok.
Sudan media reports say di figure grow to about 500, and dem dey mainly stationed for di south-west near Um Dafuq, close to Sudan border wit di Central African Republic (CAR).
Di Sudan Tribune report say wen President Bashir face popular protests for 2019, dem send “Russian fighters” to go observe anti-goment protests alongside Sudanese intelligence and security services, although Sudanese authorities don deny dis.
Shifting allegiances
Di Wagner Group create dia own media campaigns to help President Bashir stay in power, Dr Samuel Ramani, author of a book about Russia activities in Africa tok.
“Prigozhin dey call for… make dem accuse di protestors say dem be pro-Israel and anti-Islamic,” e tok.
WIA DIS FOTO COME FROM,AFP
Dis cause I no go gree wit di president own security forces and so Wagner switch dia support to di man wey comot am – General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
“While di Foreign Ministry for Moscow dey against di coup, Prigozhin and di Wagner Group actually welcome al-Burhan takeover,” Dr Ramani tok.
According to Dr Ramani, na for 2021 and 2022 wey di Wagner Group increase dia connections wit di Rapid Support Forces (RSF), wey currently dey fight Sudan regular army, wey Gen Burhan dey lead.
Oga Prigozhin dey interested in looking for more gold through mines wey di RSF leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo recently acquire.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also dey widely known as Hemedti.
Last year, Hemedti visit Moscow, saying e hope to strengthen di ties between Sudan and Russia.
However, Kholood Khair of Confluence Advisory, one think-tank on Sudanese affairs, believe say di Wagner Group no dey choose sides for di current fight-fight.
“Wagner don get links to both General al-Burhan enterprises and to oga Hemedti enterprises for different levels and in different ways,” she tok.
Wagner presence elsewhere for Africa
Wagner fighters dey widely reported to don dey for Central African Republic (CAR) for many years, guarding di kontri diamond mines, plus for Libya and Mali.
One BBC investigation for 2021 find evidence of dia involvement for Libya civil war from one digital device wey Wagner fighter leave behind and from speaking to Libyan soldiers and civilians.
For Mali, di goment don turn to Wagner to help battle Islamist militants, although dem neva officially acknowledge di group presence.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) don accuse Russian mercenaries of serious abuses, both for CAR and Mali, including torture and killings.
Source : BBC News