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Russia Pressures Central African Republic to Drop Wagner for “African Corps”—and Pay Millions in Cash
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia is pushing the Central African Republic (CAR) to replace the Wagner Group with the Kremlin-controlled “African Corps” and to start paying for its services in cash rather than natural resources, according to Associated Press on August 8.
The CAR government is resisting the proposal, arguing Wagner has proven a more effective and trusted partner. Officials in Bangui say they prefer to continue paying in resources such as gold, uranium, and iron, rather than in hard currency.
For years, Wagner fighters have served as the president’s personal guard, shored up his government, and provided crucial military support, including in 2021, when they helped repel an attempted rebel takeover of the capital, and in 2023, when they secured a controversial referendum allowing President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to extend his rule indefinitely. In return, Wagner was granted access to lucrative mining concessions, especially gold.
Moscow began pushing to phase out Wagner and expand official Ministry of Defense operations after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in August 2023. In early 2025, Mali had already replaced Wagner with the African Corps.
According to AP, Russia’s deputy defense minister visited CAR several times in 2025, demanding the switch to the African Corps and insisting on full payment in cash—billions of CFA francs, the equivalent of millions of US dollars.
“Bangui does not have such funds,” one source told AP, noting the government’s preference for resource-based payments.
A CAR lawmaker familiar with the negotiations confirmed to the AP Moscow’s demands on condition of anonymity, saying the government must now present its own counterproposal.
Experts believe CAR’s room for maneuver is shrinking. “In Mali, they were simply forced to accept the change,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
“I don’t think CAR will have a choice, especially after expelling its European partners.”
Wagner has faced repeated accusations of gross human rights abuses in CAR and other African states, including extrajudicial killings and violence against civilians—allegations rarely investigated locally.
In July 2025, reports emerged that at least 11 people were shot dead at the Wagner-controlled Ndassima gold mine while scavenging for leftover ore.
CAR remains one of Africa’s most unstable countries. Since 2013, it has been mired in conflict following a Muslim rebel takeover and the ouster of the president.
A 2019 peace deal failed to bring stability, with six of the 14 signatory armed groups later pulling out.
France, CAR’s former colonial ruler, maintained troops there for years but withdrew completely in 2022 after relations with Touadéra’s government soured.
Earlier, Mali began construction of a large gold refinery near its capital with Russian support, in what the country’s military-led government describes as a step toward reclaiming national control over its vast mineral wealth.
