Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the notorious Wagner private military company, has offered arms to paramilitaries fighting for control of Sudan, according to US officials.
Prigozhin, who is waging a brutal military campaign on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, said this week that he wants peace and offered to help mediate between rival generals vying for power.
But US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, said Prigozhin actually intends fuel the fight between the two military factions of Sudan:
the Sudanese army, under the supervision of General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lieutenant General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
Wagner – who had previously sent armored vehicles and training to Sudan in exchange for lucrative gold mining concessions– offered powerful weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to Dagalo’s paramilitaries, according to US officials.
As of Friday, Dagalo had not decided whether to accept the weapons, which would come from Wagner’s reserves in the Central African Republicaccording to officials.
Since 2019, Wagner has expanded his operations in Sudan, mining for gold, exploring for uranium and supplying mercenaries to the troubled Darfur region.
After the two generals seized power in 2021, Wagner intensified his association with Dagalo, who visited Moscow in the early days of the Ukrainian war and received military equipment from the mercenary group.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.