Russian private military company Wagner Group remains active in Sudan, despite denials by its leader, raising the prospect of the Kremlin-backed group playing a role in the conflict engulfing the nation.
Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, responding in April to questions by media outlets on Telegram, said none of his contractors had been in the northeast African country for two years. But videos seen by Semafor, the testimony of a Sudanese bar association and security analysts all suggest the group is operating in the northeast African country.
The presence of the Kremlin-backed force, which at points has supported both of the feuding generals since the overthrow of former dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, adds to the uncertainty over how the conflict may develop nearly three weeks after fighting broke out.
The northeast African country has been torn apart by fighting between forces loyal to feuding generals. The conflict, which has claimed around 500 lives and forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes since fighting began on April 15, threatens a humanitarian crisiswhich could destabilize the wider region.
Wagner Group backed Sudan’s military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan after the removal of Bashir but analysts say he switched allegiance to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, who seized control of the country’s gold mines.
Hemeti leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the ongoing power struggle with al-Buhran and his Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Wagner, whose mercenaries guard the gold mines, has reportedly supplied military equipment to the RSF.
Wagner fighters are active in a number of African countries affected by political instability, including Sudan’s neighbor the Central African Republic and Mali.
