The departure of hundreds of Wagner PMC troops from the Central African Republic (CAR) is part of a "force rotation" and not the final withdrawal of a private military company from the country. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of the Central African Republic, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, his words are quoted by Reuters.
The rebellion, led by PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, has raised questions about his group's prospects in the Central African Republic and other parts of Africa, as well as the Middle East.
Mokpyom commented on the departure of the fighters with the phrase: "Some left, others will come." A Reuters source confirmed earlier media reports that hundreds of fighters had recently flown out of the CAR.
The day before, Jeune Afrique journalists found out that 500-600 Wagner PMC mercenaries flew to Moscow from Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on two flights. Another plane planned to take off in the same direction.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was first placed on the US sanctions list in December 2016. In 2021, the FBI put him on the list of the most wanted criminals. In January, the US Treasury Department declared the Wagner PMC a transnational criminal organization involved in "criminal activities, including mass executions, rape, child abduction and physical abuse." In CAR, PMC Wagner gained control of a gold mine and logging rights, according to Reuters. In June, the United States imposed sanctions on a CAR company that could have been involved in financing the Wagner PMC through "illegal gold deals."