Russia has rapidly increased its engagement in Africa in recent years, both politically and economically, as it seeks to expand its influence on the continent. However, Russia’s activities in Africa are subject to controversy. Our new report sheds light on the Wagner Group, a private military company rapidly becoming the most effective form of Russian engagement in Africa.

The group comprises a network of political influence operations and economic entities such as mining companies. It has been accused of using whatever means necessary to achieve its aims, including criminal activity. The US government recently designated Wagner as a ‘transnational criminal organization,’ allowing for broader sanctions against Wagner and its enablers.

The report argues that the Wagner Group is unique as an organization in the breadth, scale, and boldness of its activities. However, the study also shows that Wagner did not emerge in a vacuum: The group’s activities and characteristics reflect broader trends in the evolution of Russia’s oligarchs and organized crime groups, their respective relationships with the Russian state, and their activities in Africa.

By focusing on case studies in several African countries, the report helps to shed light on the complex dynamics between Russia, its oligarchs, and its criminal networks and how they interact with African governments, businesses, and populations. This report draws on research conducted since July 2022, as well as other sources from across the continent, providing a comprehensive overview of the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa.

The report provides important insights into the evolving relationship between Russia and Africa and how this is shaping politics and economics on the continent, serving as a resource for journalists, policymakers, and researchers seeking to understand the complex dynamics of Russian engagement in Africa.

Part 1: “Who are these guys and what are they doing here?”

In late February 2022, Airport workers in Khartoum International Airport in Sudan are stood glued to television screens, watching Russian tanks entering the outskirts of Kyiv in Ukraine. But just outside on the runway, a Russian cargo plane laden with cookies was about to take off, heading to Latakia on the coast of Syria.

Earlier that day, officials had inspected the aircraft, suspicious of the cargo manifest. It turned out they were right to be suspicious, because hidden under the cookies was gold. A ton of gold. But the military arrived and the plane was waived through.

Gold is Sudan’s largest export, although 80% of that is thought to be smuggled out of the country. The industry has a number of players, including the Rapid Support Forces who are currently locked in battle with its rival the Sudanese Armed Forces . But there is also another active group that works alongside both these two forces and has its eyes firmly on Sudanese gold - the Wagner Group.

Speaker(s):

Kholood Khair - the Founder and Director of Confluence Advisory, Khartoum.

Ken Opala, the Field Network Coordinator for East and Southern Africa, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

Mohanad Hashim, freelance Sudanese journalist, currently working at the BBC.

Justin Lynch, researcher, and author of Sudan’s Unfinished Democracy.

Additional Reading:

(GI Paper)The grey zone: Russia's military, mercenary and criminal engagement in Africa

(GI Paper) Going for Gold: Russia, sanctions and illicit gold trade

'If you desert, we'll execute you': 'Putin's chef' recruits convicts for war Yevgeny Prigozhin: UK reviews rules after Wagner head sued journalist

UK exposes sick Russian troll factory plaguing social media with Kremlin propaganda

Fake news and public executions: Documents show a Russian company’s plan for quelling protests in Sudan

Wagner chief admits to founding Russian troll farm sanctioned for meddling in US elections

Ukraine capital Kyiv endures Russian onslaught - BBC News

Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin’s war effort in Ukraine

Sudan TV broadcast taken off air after loud bangs during military clashes

CNN - How Russia could be stealing over $13 billion of gold a year from Sudan

Sudan fighting: RSF and army clash in Khartoum for third day

Sudan's military removes President Omar al-Bashir | Al Jazeera English

Dmitry Medvedev’s meeting with President of the Republic of the Sudan Omar Al-Bashir

Yevgeny Prigozhin: the hotdog seller who rose to the top of Putin’s war machine

The Chef’s Global Footprints, OCCRP

Sudan defence minister dies of heart attack at Juba peace talks

Hemedti: the feared commander pulling the strings in Sudan

OpenSanctions - Autolex Transport LTD.

Hemetti, senior Russian official agree to strengthen military cooperation

Statement to the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Darfur, pursuant to UNSCR 1593 (2005)

Sudan: Darfur: “Too many people killed for no reason”

“Men With No Mercy”: Rapid Support Forces Attacks against Civilians in Darfur, Sudan

The Organized Crime Index - Sudan

“They Were Shouting ‘Kill Them’”: Sudan’s Violent Crackdown on Protesters in Khartoum

RSF declare firm commitment to the formation of single army in Sudan

Factbox: Who are Sudan's Rapid Support Forces?

Sudan’s army declares paramilitary RSF ‘rebel’ group: Fighting breaks out between army, paramilitary RSF in Sudan

Sudan's army declares paramilitary RSF 'rebel' group

SUDAN: Hemeti says troops were forced into a confrontation with the Sudanese army

Sudanese army warns against military escalation after RSF deployment in Merowe

Exchange of gunfire heard in northern Sudanese city of Merowe - witnesses

Al Jazeera - Breaking News: Heavy gunfire heard in Sudan’s capital Khartoum

Global Witness - Exposing the RSF's secret financial network

Sudan crisis: The ruthless mercenaries who run the country for gold

Facebook Watch - حميدتي الجزء الخامس

Radio Dabanga - Secret financial network of Sudan’s main militia exposed

The Rapid Support Forces: A Comprehensive Profile

Reuters - Exclusive: Sudan militia leader grew rich by selling gold

Global Witness - Leaked Documents

Sudan Activists Stand Firm Against 'Toxic, Monopolistic' Mining Practices

Heap Leach: Mining’s breakthrough technology

YouTube - 'Sudan 300000 ton per year Heap Leaching for gold tailing'

A Case Report on Cyanidation of Gold Heap Tailings at Agbash Mine in South Darfur State (Sudan)

Sudan activists stand firm against ‘toxic, monopolistic’ mining practices

About 11 civilians killed across Sudan after SAF-RSF clashes

EU imposes sanctions on Sudan’s Meroe gold company

Sudan Looks to Gold to Boost Economy, Denies Russian Smuggling 

Blood and gold: Now Sudan's land wars have spread to mining

Sudan: Minerals Ministry Signs Agreement With Miro Gold of Russia

Treasury Targets Financier’s Illicit Sanctions Evasion Activity

Darfur village left reeling from Wagner Group's CAR massacre

Documents Reveal Wagner’s Golden Ties to Sudanese Military Companies, OCCRP

The U.S. wants to counter China’s moves in Africa. But American officials try not to mention that.

Digital Press Briefing with the Commander of the U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army General Stephen J. Townsend

Sudan News Agency - موتمر صحفي : دقلو والهادي ادريس بمطار الخرطوم بعد عودتهم من ولايات دافور

Hemeti's CAR coup boast sheds light on Sudanese role in conflict next door

Sudan paramilitary funnelling weapons into Central African Republic, UN report reveals

Russia confirms security companies training Sudanese army

The Mercenaries Behind Russian Operations in Africa

Russian mercenaries accused of deadly attacks on mines on Sudan-CAR border

Wagner Group Terrorizing Sudanese Gold Miners

Russian mercenaries near Sudan accused of killing hundreds as African gold rush intensifies

C4ADS - PAPER TRAILS: How a Russia-based logistics network ties together Russian mining companies and military contractors in Africa

Trade Data Reveal Shipments to Sudanese Mining Company Linked to Russian Paramilitary Group

The Murder of Three Russian Journalists Should Not Go Unsolved: Russian and Central African Authorities Have Put Little Effort Into Finding the Perpetrators

The Dossier Centre - Final Report on the Murder of Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastogruev and Kirill Radchenko in the Central African Republic

Russians Probed Over Gold in Sudan as West Vies for Influence

CNN Investigation - Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin’s war effort in Ukraine

More Than 30 Russians Questioned In Sudan Over Gold Smuggling Case

Sudan Aiming to be Africa’s ‘Next Major Gold Mining Destination’

Treasury Sanctions Russian Proxy Wagner Group as a Transnational Criminal Organization

Executive Order 13581--Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations

US Dept. of Treasury - Yamaguchi-gumi

US Dept. of Treasury - MS13

US Dept. of Treasury - The Kinahan Organized Crime Group

EU - Wagner Group: Council adds 11 individuals and 7 entities to EU sanctions lists

Al Jazeera - ‘Angry and enraged’: Sudan's former foreign minister on bombings in Khartoum

Artwork by Paulina Rosol-Barrass

Part 2: “It’s the worst kept secret in Sudan”.

In 2019, the Dossier Centre in London, shared some leaked internal documents from the private military company, the Wagner Group. The documents showed that Wagner had identified several countries they wanted to target for future operations. What was clear is that they often targeted countries with weakened autocratic government, seeking support against an internal threat.

In this episode, we navigate the illicit gold trade in Sudan and beyond by studying a complex corporate web. How these structures are used to bypass sanctions and whether the US designation of the Wagner Group as a "Transnational Criminal Organization" adds anything to the fight.

Speaker(s):

Julia Stanyard, senior analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and author of the paper ‘The Grey Zone: Russia’s military, mercenary and criminal engagement in Africa’.

Thierry Vircoulon, Research associate at the French Institute for International Affairs in Paris, member of the GI Network of Experts and a lead author of ‘The Grey Zone: Russia’s military, mercenary and criminal engagement in Africa’.

Kholood Khair - the Founder and Director of Confluence Advisory, Khartoum.

Ken Opala, the Field Network Coordinator for East and Southern Africa, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

Mohanad Hashim, freelance Sudanese journalist, currently working at the BBC.

Jason Blazakis, Professor and Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Justin Lynch, researcher, and author of Sudan’s Unfinished Democracy.

Additional Reading:

(GI Paper)The grey zone: Russia's military, mercenary and criminal engagement in Africa

(GI Paper) Going for Gold: Russia, sanctions and illicit gold trade

'If you desert, we'll execute you': 'Putin's chef' recruits convicts for war Yevgeny Prigozhin: UK reviews rules after Wagner head sued journalist

UK exposes sick Russian troll factory plaguing social media with Kremlin propaganda

Fake news and public executions: Documents show a Russian company’s plan for quelling protests in Sudan

Wagner chief admits to founding Russian troll farm sanctioned for meddling in US elections

Ukraine capital Kyiv endures Russian onslaught - BBC News

Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin’s war effort in Ukraine

Sudan TV broadcast taken off air after loud bangs during military clashes

Sudan fighting: RSF and army clash in Khartoum for third day

Sudan's military removes President Omar al-Bashir | Al Jazeera English

Dmitry Medvedev’s meeting with President of the Republic of the Sudan Omar Al-Bashir

Yevgeny Prigozhin: the hotdog seller who rose to the top of Putin’s war machine

The Chef’s Global Footprints, OCCRP

Sudan defence minister dies of heart attack at Juba peace talks

Hemedti: the feared commander pulling the strings in Sudan

OpenSanctions - Autolex Transport LTD.

Hemetti, senior Russian official agree to strengthen military cooperation

Statement to the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Darfur, pursuant to UNSCR 1593 (2005)

Sudan: Darfur: “Too many people killed for no reason”

“Men With No Mercy”: Rapid Support Forces Attacks against Civilians in Darfur, Sudan

The Organized Crime Index - Sudan

“They Were Shouting ‘Kill Them’”: Sudan’s Violent Crackdown on Protesters in Khartoum

RSF declare firm commitment to the formation of single army in Sudan

Factbox: Who are Sudan's Rapid Support Forces?

Sudan’s army declares paramilitary RSF ‘rebel’ group: Fighting breaks out between army, paramilitary RSF in Sudan

Sudan's army declares paramilitary RSF 'rebel' group

SUDAN: Hemeti says troops were forced into a confrontation with the Sudanese army

Sudanese army warns against military escalation after RSF deployment in Merowe

CNN - How Russia could be stealing over $13 billion of gold a year from Sudan

Exchange of gunfire heard in northern Sudanese city of Merowe - witnesses

Al Jazeera - Breaking News: Heavy gunfire heard in Sudan’s capital Khartoum

Global Witness - Exposing the RSF's secret financial network

Sudan crisis: The ruthless mercenaries who run the country for gold

Facebook Watch - حميدتي الجزء الخامس

Radio Dabanga - Secret financial network of Sudan’s main militia exposed

The Rapid Support Forces: A Comprehensive Profile

Reuters - Exclusive: Sudan militia leader grew rich by selling gold

Global Witness - Leaked Documents

Sudan Activists Stand Firm Against 'Toxic, Monopolistic' Mining Practices

Heap Leach: Mining’s breakthrough technology

YouTube - 'Sudan 300000 ton per year Heap Leaching for gold tailing'

A Case Report on Cyanidation of Gold Heap Tailings at Agbash Mine in South Darfur State (Sudan)

Sudan activists stand firm against ‘toxic, monopolistic’ mining practices

About 11 civilians killed across Sudan after SAF-RSF clashes

EU imposes sanctions on Sudan’s Meroe gold company

Sudan Looks to Gold to Boost Economy, Denies Russian Smuggling 

Blood and gold: Now Sudan's land wars have spread to mining

Sudan: Minerals Ministry Signs Agreement With Miro Gold of Russia

Treasury Targets Financier’s Illicit Sanctions Evasion Activity

Darfur village left reeling from Wagner Group's CAR massacre

Documents Reveal Wagner’s Golden Ties to Sudanese Military Companies, OCCRP

The U.S. wants to counter China’s moves in Africa. But American officials try not to mention that.

Digital Press Briefing with the Commander of the U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army General Stephen J. Townsend

Sudan News Agency - موتمر صحفي : دقلو والهادي ادريس بمطار الخرطوم بعد عودتهم من ولايات دافور

Hemeti's CAR coup boast sheds light on Sudanese role in conflict next door

Sudan paramilitary funnelling weapons into Central African Republic, UN report reveals

Russia confirms security companies training Sudanese army

The Mercenaries Behind Russian Operations in Africa

Russian mercenaries accused of deadly attacks on mines on Sudan-CAR border

Wagner Group Terrorizing Sudanese Gold Miners

Russian mercenaries near Sudan accused of killing hundreds as African gold rush intensifies

C4ADS - PAPER TRAILS: How a Russia-based logistics network ties together Russian mining companies and military contractors in Africa

Trade Data Reveal Shipments to Sudanese Mining Company Linked to Russian Paramilitary Group

The Murder of Three Russian Journalists Should Not Go Unsolved: Russian and Central African Authorities Have Put Little Effort Into Finding the Perpetrators

The Dossier Centre - Final Report on the Murder of Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastogruev and Kirill Radchenko in the Central African Republic

Russians Probed Over Gold in Sudan as West Vies for Influence

CNN Investigation - Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin’s war effort in Ukraine

More Than 30 Russians Questioned In Sudan Over Gold Smuggling Case

Sudan Aiming to be Africa’s ‘Next Major Gold Mining Destination’

Treasury Sanctions Russian Proxy Wagner Group as a Transnational Criminal Organization

Executive Order 13581--Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations

US Dept. of Treasury - Yamaguchi-gumi

US Dept. of Treasury - MS13

US Dept. of Treasury - The Kinahan Organized Crime Group

EU - Wagner Group: Council adds 11 individuals and 7 entities to EU sanctions lists

Al Jazeera - ‘Angry and enraged’: Sudan's former foreign minister on bombings in Khartoum

Artwork by Paulina Rosol-Barrass