In an as yet unverified video posted by the Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin's press service on Telegram, the mercenary group leader is heard addressing his fighters, informing them that they are to prepare for a “new journey to Africa”, adding: “And perhaps we will return to the SMO (special military operation in Ukraine) at some point when we are sure that we will not be forced to shame ourselves”.
As data from the Soufan Center shows, the private military company has not restricted its operations to Ukraine and Russia, and a new focus on Africa would not represent a first for the group. Since its inception in 2014, Wagner is known or suspected to have been militarily or politically active in numerous countries, centered to a great extent on Africa.
As described in the Soufan Center report: "Between its graphic brutality in Ukraine, alleged participation in a massacre and violence against civilians in Mali, and its growing prominence in the unstable and violent Sahel region of Africa more broadly, Wagner faces more international scrutiny today than ever before."
