🇳🇪 Prigozhin interview about situation in Niger

PMC Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin gave comments regarding the situation in Niger for the African edition of l'Afrique Libre. Here are some excerpts from his interview:

▪️Economics is the main reason for the coup and anti-French sentiment in Niger, as the population is in poverty and France exploited their resource abundance.

▪️France only gave 5% of all profits from the resources in Niger to the people of the country.

▪️The people of Niger, if they controlled the resources themselves, would be rich and happy.

▪️The terrorists in Sahel region were created, financed and controlled by the UN, France, UK, USA, EU and other Western countries, as only a huge number of trained troops could control such a large number of "terrorists".

▪️The terrorists in Niger are an attempt to cover up France's economic crimes. The population in Niger was kept in fear with the help of militants. To fight the "terrorists" Niger was literally forced to be pumped full of troops from France, the US, etc.

▪️ Toppled president Bazoum's government allowed France to rampage in Niger. He and other higher officials were just covering up the plundering of the country.

▪️Now there is a "liberation struggle for the independence of the country," and "God willing, they will succeed," added the head of PMC Wagner.

#Wagner #Niger

@africaintel

#Russia / #Ukraine 🇷🇺🇺🇦: Combatants of #Russian Forces / #Wagner released a video of a captured machine gun from #Ukrainian Troops.

The machine gun is an apparent .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) Canik M2 QCB —originally produced and supplied by #Turkey (#Türkiye) 🇹🇷.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1687245926832750594

⚡️🇷🇺🌍Exclusive: Wagner's rotation in Africa and dialogue with the Russian government

Our sources told us interesting facts regarding the negotiations between Wagner PMC and Russian government that involve Africa and Wagner's presence there.

Apparently, just the day before the plane, on which PMC's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin allegedly was traveling to Moscow, crashed, an agreement was reached with one of the security agencies of the Russian Federation.

This agreement was made to separate Russian Ministry of Defense and Wagner, so to make them focus on different directions and tasks in the interests of the Russian Federation and make sure they don't overlap each other, in order to prevent another conflict and "mutiny".

Wagner was supposed to partially return to Ukraine and even more intensify its activities on the African continent.

So Russian idea was to increase the presence of the PMC in Africa and, following the idea of separation of tasks between Wagner and the Ministry of Defense, make the group one of the main Russian military actors on the continent.

#Wagner #Russia #Africa

@africaintel

⚡️🇷🇺🌍 Exclusive: Regarding the Russian delegation in Western Libya and its role to decrease the influence of Wagner in Africa

We received new additional bits of information about the conflict between Wagner and Russian government and the involvement of Africa in it. Previously we've told about the separation in tasks between Wagner PMC and Russian Ministry of Defense.

As we've found out, the story is not that simple. Yesterday we published news about the visit of the delegation from the Russian Ministry of Defense, headed by Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Yunus-bek Yevkurov, to Western Libya where Khalifa Haftar forces are present (which, by the way, used the services of Prigozhin). Previously this delegation visited Syria.

Negotiations were not only about the cooperation and fighting terrorism together. As it turns out, Yunus-bek Yevkurov held meetings with the leadership of these countries and insisted on the winding down of all Wagner's supporting business projects and withdrawal of PMC's contingents. The most important part was that the decision had to be made independently by the governments of Syria and Western Libya to deflect negativity from the Russian leadership.

So on the one hand, Russian government tried to negotiate with the Wagner PMC and make it focus primarily on Africa. And on the other hand, the Ministry of Defense tried to persuade Libya to decrease the presence of Wagner's forces.

#Wagner #Russia #Africa

@africaintel

⚡️🇷🇺🌍 Exclusive: Addition on how Russia banned Syria from receiving CAR flights

And to finish the talk about Wagner's rotation, negotiations with the Russian government and the Ministry of Defense attempts to decrease PMC's presence here are some additions to the story we've already covered about how Russia banned Syria from receiving CAR flights.

As we said, Wagner PMC had serious problems with rotation in Africa, because Foreign Ministry at the request of Ministry of Defense banned Prigozhin's group from using Russian air bases in Syria for logistics needs that includes the use of aircrafts of the Russian Air Force for the transportation. After that Wagner started to use African and Syrian aircrafts. PMC chartered them at their own expense and used them for transportation. And they used Damscus as a new transfer point.

Russian Foreign Ministry found this out and wanted to bureaucratize the transfer of aircraft through Syria as much as possible. However, diplomats and the consul got it all mixed up and forbade Syria to receive Central African's aircrafts. Everyone in Syria and CAR government were in shock.

It all came to a direct call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic to Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Bogdanov, who was on vacation. Despite the call, the lack of understanding on all sides, including Bognadov who said that such case is impossible, the situation is still unresolved.

To sum up, Russian Ministry of Defense through Foreign Ministry was working very hard to disrupt the work of the Wagner PMC in Africa, while trying to make it as natural as possible (like it wasn't their idea, but African's). At the same time they tried to smooth things over with the group to prevent new conflict.

#Wagner #Russia #Africa

@africaintel

#Mali (#Sahel) / #Russia 🇲🇱🇷🇺: "Coordination des mouvements de l'#Azawad" (#CMA) carried out a rocket attack on #Wagner PMC/#FAMa positions.

The group seemingly used a 122mm 9P132 Grad-P ("Partizan") single-tube launcher with 9M22M HE-FRAG rockets.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1703807057797726501

#Mali (#Sahel) / #Russia 🇲🇱🇷🇺: Militias of the "Coordination des mouvements de l'#Azawad" (#CMA) have captured a #Russian Orlan-10 UAV belonging to #Wagner PMC in #Gao Region.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1704202392835670397

#Russia / #Mali (#Sahel) 🇷🇺🇲🇱: #Azawad/#CMA militias released a new video of their mobilized units against #FAMa and #Wagner PMC.

The militias operate large quantity of technicals armed with heavy machine guns & autocannons including 12.7mm NSV/Kord and 23mm 2A14/ZU-23.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1704895590381871522

#Russia / #Mali (#Sahel) 🇷🇺🇲🇱: #ISIS militants carried out an attack against a military camp of Russian #Wagner PMC and Malian Army (#FAMa) in #Ménaka.

Militants seemingly fired three 122mm 9M22U HE-Frag Grad rockets with texts for #Palestine and #Gaza written on them.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1744442223360356765