What now for Wagner after Prigozhin's reported death? - BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66604261
Some excerpts:
Equally unclear is the future of Wagner's troops abroad. The group has become a key pillar of Russian foreign policy, with its forces helping to prop up governments in Syria, Mali, the Central African Republic and Libya in exchange for lucrative mining rights.
In recent days Prigozhin is believed to have been present in West Africa, where Western analysts fear the group was seeking to widen its reach into other countries, including Niger where a coup has just taken place.
Some had speculated that the decapitation of the group's leadership could force Russia to re-evaluate its attempts to seek influence in the region, but many experts believe the group's decentralised command on the continent should allow it to continue its operations unhindered by Prigozhin's death.
Following June's mutiny, Russian officials were reported to have flown to Libya to meet Khalifa Haftar, the renegade general challenging the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, and assured him of the Wagner Group's continued support, regardless of Prigozhin's fate. |
