Vladimir Putin’s mercenaries are fuelling the rise of Islamist terror groups, a shocking report has warned.
The Wagner Group’s “self-serving” agenda in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is leading to more civilian deaths, the Counter Extremism Project said.
And Islamist terrorists are using the increase in civilian deaths to bolster their own ranks.
The Wagner Group’s failure to maintain security has led to a deadly battle between Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin – an Al-Qaeda affiliated terror group – and Islamic State.
The Counter Extremism Project’s Riza Kumar warned: “Wagner’s violent activities are increasing ammunition for violent extremist groups in their recruiting efforts across the Sahel. Whether or not Wagner establishes formal ties with Burkina Faso and Niger, the PMC’s impact is being felt across the region.
“As violent extremist groups expand their geographical scope, they have the potential to influence the communities on the border areas and potentially persuade them to see Wagner as predatorial rather than protective.”
The Wagner Group has established itself as an ally of coup leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Security chiefs have previously warned the region could descend into a new Islamist caliphate.
But soldiers from the private military company are trying to secure unfettered access to gold, diamonds, uranium and oil within the region.
This, Kumar warns, is helping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The report stated: Wagner’s presence in Africa also indirectly benefits Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The PMC’s access to Africa’s reserves of gold, diamonds, uranium, and oil provide Russia with resources to compensate for international sanctions imposed on the Kremlin since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“To mitigate significant military losses, Russia has previously freed African prisoners and with minimal training deployed them to fight in Ukraine in 2022. Evidence indicates that this tactic was also used previously in the Central African Republic (CAR), another country where Wagner was deployed.”
The Counter Extremism Project warned the Wagner Group’s “counter-terrorism operations” have been “more of an afterthought” to the group’s bid to seize African resources.
This has led to a record number of civilian deaths.
The CEP said: “Recent figures reveal the grave reality haunting the central Sahel. Since January 2023, there have been a record number of terrorist deaths in the three countries; 2,725 in Burkina Faso, 844 in Mali, and 77 in Niger.”
Extremists in the region are taking advantage of the security vacuum to fight for dominance.
But the Kremlin has sought to blame Western forces for the deteriorating security situation.
British and French troops both operated in Mali in a bid to prevent jihadis from spreading their influence, killing civilians and destroying lives.
But the Ministry of Defence ordered British troops to leave after Mali grew closer to the Wagner Group.
The Counter Extremism Project said: “Wagner has aligned with the Sahel to further Russia’s great power ambitions; the Sahel has had a long history with France, a Western power, that once pushed out of the region will benefit Russia’s geostrategic portfolio; and establishing a profile in the Sahel further reduces the area’s dependence on Western allies and international institutions, further isolating key competitors to Russia’s global ambitions. In varying degrees throughout the three countries, Wagner has ramped up anti-Western sentiment and discredited international forces for their less-than-successful counterinsurgency campaigns.”
