Washington [US], February 4: The United States has stepped up pressure on Middle Eastern allies to expel the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary army owned by an oligarch linked to the Russian president, from Libya and Sudan, several African officials told The Associated Press.
The activities described by those officials are being undertaken by the US at a time when the administration of President Joseph Biden is exerting increasing pressure on the Wagner group, which in recent months has imposed new sanctions due to its increased role in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The Wagner group, owned by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is described by the Pentagon as a surrogate of the Russian Defense Ministry, while the Kremlin denies any connection with the mercenary army.
The Biden administration has been in contact for months with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, regional powers, to influence military leaders in Sudan and Libya to cut ties with the Wagner group, more than a dozen Libyan, Sudanese and Egyptian officials told the AP.
A senior Egyptian government official, privy to the talks, said the Wagner group was "the main topic of every meeting."
The Wagner Group does not publicize its operations, but its presence is known from field reports and other evidence.
In Sudan, the Wagner Group was originally associated with former longtime president Omar al-Bashir, and now works with the military leaders who replaced him. In Libya, he is associated with the powerful commander KhalifaHaftar, who controls the eastern part of the country.
The Wagner Group has deployed thousands of personnel in African and Middle Eastern countries, including Mali, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Syria.
Analysts estimate that its goal in Africa is to support Russia's interests at a time of growing global interest in the resource-rich continent.
Human rights experts working with the US accused the Wagner Group this week of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Mali, where it is fighting on the side of government forces.
Katrina Doxsee, an expert on the Wagner group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that the Wagner group "targets countries with natural resources that can be used for Moscow's goals, such as gold mines in Sudan, where the extracted gold can be sold for circumventing Western sanctions".
The Wagner Group's role in Libya and Sudan was the main topic of talks between CIA Director William Burns and Egyptian and Libyan officials in January, Egyptian officials said, adding that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also discussed Russian mercenaries with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el -Sissiem during a recent visit to Cairo.
Source: Beta News Agency
