A nation must think before it acts.
The Wagner Group’s Playbook in Africa
April 26, 2022 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Africa ProgramEurasia Program
About the Event
In his recent FPRI report, Raphael Parens examines the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner Group's playbook in Africa. Wagner has been involved in conflicts in Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan. The group's strategy involves launching disinformation campaigns, securing mining concessions as payment, and developing political-military relationships with the Russian Federation. After several recent coups and ongoing insurgencies in Mali and the Sahel, how will affected countries choose to engage with foreign actors going forward? What effects will subsequent contracts have on the power dynamics in the fragile region? How will the ongoing war in Ukraine affect Wagner's presence in Africa?
FPRI Director of Research Aaron Stein will be joined by (independent) researcher Raphael Parens, Catrina Doxsee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Aanu Adeoye of Chatham House, and Jack Margolin of C4ADS for a discussion on the Wagner Group's playbook in Africa.
Read the report, The Wager Group's Playbook in Africa: Mali, by clicking here.
FPRI is happy to provide this event free of charge thanks to the generous support of our members, partners, and event attendees. If you are not currently a member, the suggested donation is $25.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our events coordinator, Kayla Wendt at kwendt@fpri.org.
Speakers
Raphael Parens - Raphael Parens is a 2024 Templeton Fellow and a Fellow in the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He is an international security researcher focused on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and specializes in small armed groups and NATO modernization processes.
Catrina Doxsee - Catrina Doxsee is an associate director and associate fellow for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she analyzes international and domestic terrorism and the irregular activities of countries such as Iran, Russia, and China.
Aanu Adeoye - Aanu Adeoye is a Nigerian journalist currently serving as the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellow at Chatham House. His research with the Russia and Eurasia programme focuses on the prospects and perils of Russia’s new advance to Africa.
Jack Margolin - Jack Margolin is the Program Director of the Conflict Finance & Irregular Threats Program at C4ADS, where he oversees analysis on war economies, arms trafficking, terror finance, private military companies, and mass atrocity.
