mercenary

ADF STAFF Sudan closed its border with the Central African Republic (CAR) in early January, claiming the action was necessary to head off a coup attempt against the CAR’s leadership. However, some observers are denying the report and…

ADF STAFF As it seeks to expand its presence in the Sahel region, Russia appears to be following the same playbook in Burkina Faso that it used to embed itself into Mali’s security apparatus. Despite recent denials, Burkina Faso has…

ADF STAFF New reporting is showing how Russia uses its Wagner Group mercenaries to extract diamonds from the Central African Republic (CAR). Research published in December 2022 by Belgian newspaper De Standaard, the media network European…

ADF STAFF In an effort to bolster its military, which has suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia reportedly is freeing prisoners from jails in Africa and conscripting them to fight in its war. Two senior military sources in the Central…

ADF STAFF After visiting Kyiv, Ukraine, in April, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres took a delayed trip to the Sahel to focus international attention on the deteriorating security situation there. His dilemma, and that of…

ADF STAFF On a street in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, a poster appeared earlier this year with a succinct message accusing the ruling military junta of betrayal. It read: “Russia supported the coup so it could steal our gold.” There are…

ADF STAFF After Burkina Faso’s second coup d’état on September 30, people took to the streets of Ouagadougou waving Russian flags. They gathered, in part, as a result of Russia’s relentless disinformation efforts, which paint Moscow as a…

ADF STAFF Two military coups in eight months in Burkina Faso have failed to deliver promised security but may be opening the door to greater Russian interference. Between the coup at the end of January and the second coup in September,…

ADF STAFF Christelle Youmbi’s 11-year-old son was taking a bath behind their house in the Boko-Boudeye community of the Central African Republic when Wagner Group mercenaries grabbed the naked boy and carried him away as he struggled to…

ADF STAFF From southern Sudan to central Mali, the stories are almost identical: Russian-speaking men, sometimes accompanied by local soldiers, enter a community and brutally attack and kill residents. The Russian speakers belong to the…