蜜芽传媒

A week after American military officials reiterated warnings about Moscow鈥檚 presence in Africa, the private military company, the Wagner Group, has been placed under new economic sanctions by the UK government aimed at cutting off vital industries fuelling Russia鈥檚 war effort. The latest sanctions target strategic industries, banks and business elites.

Investigations by Western journalists and think tanks link Yevgeny Prigozhin - a close ally of President Vladimir Putin - to the Wagner Group, which is accused of pursuing Russian state interests in war-torn Syria and Libya, as well as hotspots in sub-Saharan Africa. He has denied the Western allegations.

Speaking last week at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting in Washington, the head of the US Africa Command - General Stephen Townsend - accused the Wagner Group of committing gross violations of human rights and remaining a threat to Africa's security and prosperity.

Dr Eric Miller, the Director of Intelligence Analysis at the US Africa Command, told Newsday why Western governments see the Wagner Group as a cause for concern:

鈥淭his is a private military company that gained prominence during the Syrian civil war, that became in some respects an extension of the Russian military. And one that could give plausible deniability to Russia.鈥�

鈥淲e know Wagner was heavily involved in Crimea operations in 2014. We know Wagner wants to increase its presence in Ukraine. We know [Yevgeny] Prigozhin maintains close ties to Putin. We know the Russian military has at times supported Wagner in Africa. So if Putin says, 鈥業 need your help鈥� - that Wagner would be there as quickly as they could to help out.鈥�

(Photo: Ammunition cleared from civilian settlements in Libya in July 2020, south of the capital Tripoli. Credit: Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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