There have been questions over the Wagner Groups potential involvement since the commencement of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This well-known and powerful Russian mercenary force has been operating in Sudan for many years. According to reports, the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner has been delivering missiles to Sudans Rapid Support Forces to help them combat the nations army. The addition of surface-to-air missiles has made a significant difference for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary fighters and their leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in their struggle for control over General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudans military ruler and head of its armed forces. The Wagner Group: A private paramilitary organizationThe Wagner Group received extensive popularity and attention in 2014 for its alleged role in Russias annexation of Crimea and the fighting in eastern Ukraine. It is also suspected of assisting Russian armed troops in the Syrian conflict, which began in 2015, in favour of President Bashar al-Assads administration. The Wagner Group is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former prisoner who previously worked as a caterer for the Kremlin, earning him the nickname “Putins chef”. Prigozhins fortune grew, and he used it to fund his own private army, which has been involved in conflicts in several African countries, including Libya, where it fought alongside renegade commander Khalifa Haftar during the civil war. The group has also worked in Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan as part of Russias plan to secure access to resources such as oil and gold in Africa. The Wagner Group has played a prominent role in Russias invasion of Ukraine and is suspected of using its overseas operations to generate funds for itself and for Russia.Wagner Groups arrival in SudanFormer Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Russia in 2017 to ensure Russias backing and to promote Sudan as a gateway to Africa. Soon after, a new mining business, Meroe Gold, owned by the Russian company M Invest, began sending Russian expertise to Sudan, Africas third-largest gold producer. After investigations disclosed that M Invest was a front for the Wagner Group, the US Department of the Treasury revealed the information in 2020.The Wagner Group, according to Samuel Ramadi, author of the book Russia in Africa, principally attempted to protect mineral resources, particularly gold mining, and to defend the al-Bashir government by protecting it from international opposition. After al-Bashir was deposed, Prigozhin attempted to form an alliance with army head al-Burhan, but the relationship soured after the Khartoum massacre in 2019. Alliance with the Rapid Support ForcesWagner Group has made contact with the RSF and its head, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and made an alliance after this. The major goal of this connection is to establish a channel for smuggled gold from Sudan to Dubai and then to Russia, where it will be used to fund Wagner Groups operations in Ukraine. General Mohamed Hamdan DagaloFollowing Russias invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Dagalo travelled to Moscow, bringing a new phase in the RSFs partnership with the Wagner Group.
