Russia grows military footprint

WITH the rise of a paramilitary force that analysts say is controlled by the Kremlin, Russia is openly expanding its state military footprint in Africa, after years of distancing itself from mercenaries deployed on the continent to support pro-Russian rulers.

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Russia is using the Africa Corps force to increase its influence in particular in francophone West Africa, where the presence of former colonial master France is dwindling.

Africa Corps, which is believed to be run by the Russian defence ministry, is stepping up its presence and filling the gap left by Wagner, the mercenary group founded by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, which announced its departure from Mali in early June.

The Kremlin always denied it was behind Wagner, whose founder died in a plane crash in 2023 after earlier that year leading his fighters in an unprecedented but short-lived rebellion where they advanced towards Moscow.

"The usage of plausible deniability is now replaced by managed visibility," said Tbilisi-based security researcher Nicholas Chkhaidze

"The transfer of Wagner assets in Mali to Africa Corps, which is a state-co-ordinated mechanism of influence, is more than symbolic, as it demonstrates a strategic transition from proxy to a power chain operated by the government."

Africa Corps is expanding its presence as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which are led by juntas who seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023, have turned away from France and moved closer to Russia.