05-25-2018, 10:49 PM
*** 26-May-18 World View -- Russia gains foothold in Central African Republic, displacing France
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Russia gains foothold in Central African Republic, displacing France
****
![[Image: g180525b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180525b.jpg)
Map of Central African Republic, showing zones of influence of armed groups (Conflict Intelligence Team)
On October 9, 2017, president Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central
African Republic (CAR) flew to Sochi, Russia, and met privately with
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The readout from the meeting
said:
<QUOTE>"The officials reaffirmed their countries’ resolve to
build up practical cooperation in the political, trade, economic
and cultural areas and pointed to the considerable potential for
partnership in mineral resources exploration, in the energy area,
as well as in the delivery of Russian industrial equipment and
farming machinery to the Central African Republic."<END QUOTE>
Although the exact text of the agreement has remained secret, it has
unfolded over time to mean that Russian mercenaries and military
advisers have been protecting Touadera and his regime in Bangui, the
capital city of CAR, taking over a portion of the responsibilities
formerly assumed by French troops, and by MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping
mission (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in the Central African Republic).
In addition, Russia has been supplying masses of weapons to Touadera's
army. Normally, CAR is under a UN arms embargo, and it's illegal for
any UN member to send any weapons into CAR, but Russia was able to
obtain a waiver from the UN Security Council to do so.
Among the weapons delivered this year are 900 Makarov pistols, 5,200
Kalashnikov assault rifles, 140 sniper rifles, 840 Kalashnikov PK
7.62-millimeter machine guns, 270 rocket-propelled grenade launchers,
20 man-portable anti-air defense systems, hand grenades, mortars and
millions of rounds of ammunition. Russian weaponry and parts are
compatible with what Soviet-era arms remain in the CAR armories.
One estimate suggests there are now 1,400 armed Russians in the CAR,
most of them employees of private military contractor Wagner PMC,
operating under the name Sewa Security Services.
In return, Russia is being granted access to exploit CAR's oil,
precious ores, and rare earth minerals. Russia will develop
infrastructure for strategic military bases, and commercial relations
with telecoms and other industries. Jamestown and AFP and Turkey Telegraph (24-Apr) and Monde Afrique (9-May) (Trans)
Related Articles:
****
**** The rise of Russia's military contractor Wagner Private Military Company (Wagner PMC)
****
![[Image: g180525c.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180525c.jpg)
Sergei Borisovich Kim, Chief of Operations in Wagner Private Military Company (Inform Napalm)
In February, I wrote "9-Feb-18 World View -- US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) clash with Syrian regime forces"
in Deir az-Zour in eastern Syria. In
that article, I wrote:
<QUOTE>"The war in Syria may have gotten even more chaotic on
Thursday when US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), backed by US
warplanes, clashed with pro-regime Syrian army forces and allies.
The pro-regime forces launched a massive, coordinated attack on
the SDF, and were driven back with the aid of US warplanes.
The US had been observing the buildup of the pro-regime forces for
several days, as they prepared for this assault on the SDF.
During that period, the US forces contacted the Russians over an
established "de-confliction" hotline that was set up to prevent
such clashes. However, the pro-regime forces attacked anyway, and
the SDF forces counter-attacked in self-defense."<END QUOTE>
As I described at the time, the Pentagon estimated that 100 regime
fighters were killed. The Syrian regime said that the US-backed
forces had committed a "barbaric aggression" representing a "war
crime."
Since then, it's come out that the "pro-regime Syrian army forces and
allies" were actually a Russian military contractor Wagner Private
Military Company (Wagner PMC). The clash with the American backed
SDF forces was a complete disaster for Wagner, as hundreds of Wagner
mercenaries were unable to return to their families in Russia.
However, this debacle was not the end of the contracting firm. This
is the same Wagner PMC that we described above as operating today in
Central African Republic under the name Sewa Security Services.
Wagner PMC is a private military company, but is sometimes called
"Vladimir Putin's personal army." It's thought to be closely
connected to Russian military and intelligence organizations, and it
performs "dirty work" about which Putin wished to maintain
deniability.
Wagner has a core of over 4,800 well-trained, well-paid combat troops.
In additional to military operations in Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Central
African Republic and other countries, it has "business-related"
activities, such as protecting oil and gas fields in Syria and Iraqi
Kurdistan.
According to reports, Wagner PMC has risen to prominence because of
financial support from Russian billionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin has also been identified as the head of Russia's "fake news"
empire, including the famous St. Petersburg troll factory that turns
out hundreds of Russian trolls who constantly attack people like me
when we write about Russia. According to some reports, at the zenith
of the U.S. election campaign, the troll factory’s accounts across
different social media platforms would churn out as many as 50 million
posts a month. Inform Napalm (20-Feb) and Jamestown (18-Apr) and Moscow Times (24-Mar-2017) and Conflict Intelligence Team (Moscow)
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, Central African Republic, CAR,
Faustin-Archange Touadera, Sergei Lavrov,
MINUSCA, Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR,
Sewa Security Services, Wagner Private Military Force, Wagner PMC,
Syria, Deir Ezzor, Deir al-Zour, Deir ez-Zor, Deir Azzour,
Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Vladimir Putin,
Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Borisovich Kim
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Russia gains foothold in Central African Republic, displacing France
- The rise of Russia's military contractor Wagner Private Military Company (Wagner PMC)
****
**** Russia gains foothold in Central African Republic, displacing France
****
Map of Central African Republic, showing zones of influence of armed groups (Conflict Intelligence Team)
On October 9, 2017, president Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central
African Republic (CAR) flew to Sochi, Russia, and met privately with
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The readout from the meeting
said:
<QUOTE>"The officials reaffirmed their countries’ resolve to
build up practical cooperation in the political, trade, economic
and cultural areas and pointed to the considerable potential for
partnership in mineral resources exploration, in the energy area,
as well as in the delivery of Russian industrial equipment and
farming machinery to the Central African Republic."<END QUOTE>
Although the exact text of the agreement has remained secret, it has
unfolded over time to mean that Russian mercenaries and military
advisers have been protecting Touadera and his regime in Bangui, the
capital city of CAR, taking over a portion of the responsibilities
formerly assumed by French troops, and by MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping
mission (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in the Central African Republic).
In addition, Russia has been supplying masses of weapons to Touadera's
army. Normally, CAR is under a UN arms embargo, and it's illegal for
any UN member to send any weapons into CAR, but Russia was able to
obtain a waiver from the UN Security Council to do so.
Among the weapons delivered this year are 900 Makarov pistols, 5,200
Kalashnikov assault rifles, 140 sniper rifles, 840 Kalashnikov PK
7.62-millimeter machine guns, 270 rocket-propelled grenade launchers,
20 man-portable anti-air defense systems, hand grenades, mortars and
millions of rounds of ammunition. Russian weaponry and parts are
compatible with what Soviet-era arms remain in the CAR armories.
One estimate suggests there are now 1,400 armed Russians in the CAR,
most of them employees of private military contractor Wagner PMC,
operating under the name Sewa Security Services.
In return, Russia is being granted access to exploit CAR's oil,
precious ores, and rare earth minerals. Russia will develop
infrastructure for strategic military bases, and commercial relations
with telecoms and other industries. Jamestown and AFP and Turkey Telegraph (24-Apr) and Monde Afrique (9-May) (Trans)
Related Articles:
- Muslim vs Catholic violence surges again in Central African Republic (06-May-2018)
- UN Human Rights chief warns of 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing' in Central African Republic (11-Aug-2017)
- Central African Republic war morphs from religious to ethnic war (01-Mar-2017)
****
**** The rise of Russia's military contractor Wagner Private Military Company (Wagner PMC)
****
Sergei Borisovich Kim, Chief of Operations in Wagner Private Military Company (Inform Napalm)
In February, I wrote "9-Feb-18 World View -- US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) clash with Syrian regime forces"
in Deir az-Zour in eastern Syria. In
that article, I wrote:
<QUOTE>"The war in Syria may have gotten even more chaotic on
Thursday when US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), backed by US
warplanes, clashed with pro-regime Syrian army forces and allies.
The pro-regime forces launched a massive, coordinated attack on
the SDF, and were driven back with the aid of US warplanes.
The US had been observing the buildup of the pro-regime forces for
several days, as they prepared for this assault on the SDF.
During that period, the US forces contacted the Russians over an
established "de-confliction" hotline that was set up to prevent
such clashes. However, the pro-regime forces attacked anyway, and
the SDF forces counter-attacked in self-defense."<END QUOTE>
As I described at the time, the Pentagon estimated that 100 regime
fighters were killed. The Syrian regime said that the US-backed
forces had committed a "barbaric aggression" representing a "war
crime."
Since then, it's come out that the "pro-regime Syrian army forces and
allies" were actually a Russian military contractor Wagner Private
Military Company (Wagner PMC). The clash with the American backed
SDF forces was a complete disaster for Wagner, as hundreds of Wagner
mercenaries were unable to return to their families in Russia.
However, this debacle was not the end of the contracting firm. This
is the same Wagner PMC that we described above as operating today in
Central African Republic under the name Sewa Security Services.
Wagner PMC is a private military company, but is sometimes called
"Vladimir Putin's personal army." It's thought to be closely
connected to Russian military and intelligence organizations, and it
performs "dirty work" about which Putin wished to maintain
deniability.
Wagner has a core of over 4,800 well-trained, well-paid combat troops.
In additional to military operations in Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, Central
African Republic and other countries, it has "business-related"
activities, such as protecting oil and gas fields in Syria and Iraqi
Kurdistan.
According to reports, Wagner PMC has risen to prominence because of
financial support from Russian billionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin has also been identified as the head of Russia's "fake news"
empire, including the famous St. Petersburg troll factory that turns
out hundreds of Russian trolls who constantly attack people like me
when we write about Russia. According to some reports, at the zenith
of the U.S. election campaign, the troll factory’s accounts across
different social media platforms would churn out as many as 50 million
posts a month. Inform Napalm (20-Feb) and Jamestown (18-Apr) and Moscow Times (24-Mar-2017) and Conflict Intelligence Team (Moscow)
Related Articles
- US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) clash with Syrian regime forces (09-Feb-2018)
- Armies and militias fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria increasingly turn on each other (15-Oct-2017)
- With ceasefire, American forces become more deeply involved in Syria's civil war (11-Jul-2017)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, Central African Republic, CAR,
Faustin-Archange Touadera, Sergei Lavrov,
MINUSCA, Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR,
Sewa Security Services, Wagner Private Military Force, Wagner PMC,
Syria, Deir Ezzor, Deir al-Zour, Deir ez-Zor, Deir Azzour,
Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Vladimir Putin,
Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Borisovich Kim
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
