Private military contractors have developed into worldwide high-stakes businesses, with the Wagner Group smuggling gold out of Sudan to the tune of $130bn annually. However, there has been a deafening silence from the African Union and influential states such as South Africa on the activities of Wagner on the continent.

The Wagner Group first emerged after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Since then, the group has fought in Syria, Ukraine and several African countries.

The Wagner Group is a complex network of mercenaries and businesses, rather than a single entity, with close ties to the Russian intelligence and military community. Many private military contractors (PMCs), especially those operating in Africa, such as Wagner, have been accused of mass human rights abuses according to Human Rights Watch. Most notably in Mali, where Wagner fighters were caught by French forces digging a mass grave.

'Transnational criminal organisation' classification

Due to the organisation's illegal activities, the US Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, on 26 January 2023, in an effort to degrade Russia's capacity to wage war in Ukraine, classified Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation.

Minerally rich and institutionally poor African states are where Wagner enjoys supremacy.

PMCs, often called "soldiers of fortune" or mercenaries, consist of individuals who participate in military conflicts and related activities on behalf of third parties, who then reimburse them for their services.

Their work ranges from providing hundreds of highly trained combat units equipped with powerful weapons,...