The Wagner Group, a mercenary army with business connections, nearly reached Moscow in what many believed was a coup attempt to oust Russian President Vladimir Putin before abruptly turning around last week.    

But the Wagner Group has been involved in several African countries since 2017, according to Council on Foreign Relations. The council added that in January 2023, the U.S. government called Wagner Group a “transnational criminal organization.”

The Wagner Group, which is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, is active in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, and Sudan. The Wagner Group has supported African governments in combatting groups against rebels and vice versa.

Approximately 1,000 troops in the Wagner Group are located in the Central African Republic to defend the government of President Faustim-Archange Touadera against rebel attacks in the capital city of Bangui. In return, Wagner has unrestricted logging rights and control of the Ndassima gold mine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Wagner force also fought Libyan National Army during the 2019 Tripoli campaign which they were accused of extrajudicial killing and planting land mines in civilian neighborhoods. In Mozambique in 2019, the Wagner Group fought against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

And in Sudan, Wagner is training troops to guard against minerals and suppressing descent against President Omar al-Bashir.

The Wagner Group is involved in Africa to make money and to build diplomatic support with the United Nations. The Wagner Group has estimated 5,000 members in Africa. They are former Russian soldiers, convicts, and foreign nationals.