Gruppe Wagner supplies paramilitary forces with missiles

Chief Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin has his hands full. Not only in Ukraine, but also in Africa. The Putin confidant comments on the situation on the continent almost every day – especially regarding the power struggle in Sudan.

There, the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army escalated into bloody battles. However, Prigozhin insists that he will play no role in the conflict and will not supply weapons.

according to search «CNNThings look different. Wagner is allegedly supplying surface-to-air missiles to the RSF through Libya. Satellite imagery and flight tracker data show increased activity of Russian transport aircraft at two bases in Libya. These fall within the scope of Libyan General Shalifa Haftar and are used according to Wagner’s research.

The plane, an Ilyushin-76, flew on April 13 from Khadem Haftar Air Base to Latakia, Syria, where Russia operates its own air base. The next day it returned to Khadim, a day later to Haftar’s base in Jufra. On that day, fighting broke out in Sudan.

Last Tuesday he flew again to Latakia before returning first to Khadim and then to Jufra. On the same day, Russia shot down CNN sources on surface-to-air missiles over RSF positions.

Haftar himself denies supporting the RSF. However, the aircraft’s activities and reports from CNN sources indicate that Russia and Haftar are involved with the RSF.

The RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have always benefited from Russian intervention in Sudan. Daglo receives weapons, and Russia receives gold in return.

Research by CNN and investigative journalists exposed billions of dollars in gold smuggled from Sudan to Russia – processed through Wagner channels. Russia is said to have particularly good relations with Daglo and the RSF. But Moscow is said to have good connections with de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, whom the RSF is currently fighting against.

Wagner has perfected its business model across the continent. The group offers unscrupulous personnel, services, and weapons, in exchange for raw materials—often gold. For Prigozhin, the continent has literally become a cash cow.

On 15 April, fighting broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The Rapid Support Forces was established ten years ago during the reign of dictator Omar al-Bashir. “The Rapid Support Forces were created directly as a competition to the armed forces,” Sudanese expert Gerrit Kurtz explains to Zeit.

In 2019, democracy protests broke out in the country, and eventually al-Bashir was overthrown. The armed forces seized power, but no free elections were held. Since then, conflict has flared up between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

In fact, the RSF should have been integrated into the army. However, the plan failed. Paramilitary leader Dagalo refused, and eventually the current fighting broke out. So far more than 413 people have been killed.

Meanwhile, many countries have either withdrawn from the country or are planning to withdraw. Embassy staff from several countries have been or are being evacuated.

The Italian Foreign Minister announced that the Italian army would evacuate about 200 civilians, including Swiss nationals. He said nothing about the number of Swiss. At the moment, the Swiss authorities have not commented to the “SDA” regarding the evacuation on Sunday.