What do we know about Russia’s African Corps in Libya?

In a move that confirms Russia’s intention to continue expanding in Africa and attacking Western interests there, especially American and French, Moscow officially announced the start of expanding its military presence on the African continent, by forming a huge armed force with equipment and equipment to carry out military tasks that have not yet been determined, which will serve as a modification and development of the “Wagner” force. “Former military, in shape, size and nature of tasks.

This large Russian military formation, for which Moscow chose the name “African Corps,” will be distributed among five African countries, with its central base in Libya, according to leaks published by European media, before being confirmed by newspapers close to the Kremlin and sources in the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian plan and ambition to increase military deployment in Africa has raised great sensitivity in Washington and its allied European capitals, and concern about the Russian goals in forming this military corps, and its impact on Western influence and stability in the countries of the continent, especially after the wave of coups last year, which the administration of President Vladimir Putin accuses of Playing a major role in igniting its fuse.

Coordination in Benghazi

The story of this Russian military corps began to appear in press leaks following the visit of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Bek Evkurov to the Libyan city of Benghazi to meet with Army Commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. It was said at the time of the visit, which took place in November of last year, that the goal was to establish a body Russian military forces in the African continent from Libya.

These reports confirmed that the Russian Ministry of Defense has actually begun working to confront Western influence and strengthen Moscow’s position in Africa, so it seeks to form this “African-Russian Corps,” which must conduct large-scale military operations on the continent to support countries seeking to “liberate themselves.” Finally, from neo-colonial dependence, and the purification of Western presence.”

Washington warns

This visit and the news leaked about it caused great concern in the United States, and only a few days passed until the State Department of President Joe Biden’s administration published a statement confirming the validity of the leaks, and warned Haftar against helping Moscow extend its military influence in Africa.

The US State Department said in that statement, “Haftar should not rely on Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a Russian military corps in Africa.”
She added, through her spokesman, Ned Price, that “the mercenaries of the Russian paramilitary company (Wagner) represent a harmful element in Libya. They plunder the countries in which they are located, endanger public security and cause a lack of respect for human rights.”
Price stated, “The Moscow authorities are working with Libya to establish a Russian military corps in Africa, after the visit of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Bek Evkurov to Libya at the invitation of Khalifa Haftar. This Russian African corps will have to conduct large-scale military operations on the continent to confront Western influence.” “.

Digging up the facts
The US State Department statement gave the news circulating about the formation of a Russian military corps more attention and credibility, and the media and major research centers, especially in the United States, began to dig up details related to this dangerous Russian plan, and the American Institute for War Studies published new information that confirmed that Moscow’s military project in Africa It has passed the coordination and study stage, and has officially entered into force.

Information obtained by the Center and published on November 20 indicated that the Russian Ministry of Defense began general recruitment for the African Corps with the aim of integrating the operations of the “Wagner” Group in Africa after alleged failed attempts by the Ministry of Defense to directly recruit former members of it.

Moscow breaks the silence

After a two-month silence and blackout, the Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” broke the silence in Moscow. It confirmed the veracity of the news circulating about the formation of the Russian Military Corps in Africa, and revealed many important details about its role, activity centers, equipment, and equipment.

The Russian newspaper said, “The Corps will be formed in five African countries, including Libya,” and quoted two sources close to the Ministry of Defense as saying, “African Corps units are planning to deploy in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Niger.” Vedomosti also indicated that “the aforementioned corps will be directly affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, and that it will be supervised by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Bek Yevkirov, who will make numerous visits to the region during the second half of 2023.”

She explained that “the African Legion will be composed of regular soldiers, former Wagner militants, and private security groups affiliated with Russian companies operating in Africa.”

The Russian newspaper continued, “The Russian military corps in Africa will seek to confront Western influence on the African continent, and that the step is serious between Haftar and Moscow, and Yevkirov’s main mission is the practical implementation of the Russian-Libyan agreements he reached within the framework of the 11th Moscow International Conference, which was held in Russia during Last August.”

The Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” suggested that the formation of the corps would be completed by the summer, with it being subject to the supervision of General Yunusbek Yevkirov, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, who has repeatedly visited the city of Benghazi in recent periods, and it seems that the formation of these units was among the priorities of his visits.

Media reports also confirmed that the new military units are based on the Wagner Group, with the integration of more elements with different tasks and training, and the number of its forces may reach about 45 thousand fighters, distributed among several teams in five African countries: Libya, Burkina Faso, Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger, and coordination is underway with Authorities in eastern Libya so that Libya could be a potential headquarters for them.
According to these reports, assignment and recruitment operations began in December 2023 in several African countries and in Russia, and recruitment advertisements were published since the first 10 days of the same month on military channels on the Telegram application.

Concern in Libya

In Libya, this news of the formation of a Russian military arm in Africa, with its main base in the east of the country, has caused great fears about the impact of this dangerous project on the country politically and militarily, especially with regard to the return of foreign interventions and foreign military presence and the transformation of the Libyan arena once again into a backyard. To settle scores between international powers competing for influence in Africa and the Middle East.

Analysts believe that this project, if implemented, will be an influential factor in thwarting the efforts to remove foreign military forces from Libya led by the United Nations. It may even strengthen this presence, with the intervention of new and large parties that did not have an official military presence in Libya, such as the United States of America and France. .

The potential impact of this project, if completed, will extend to Libya’s regional relations, with official concern from several neighboring countries about Russian activity in what is known as the African “Sahel-Saharan belt,” especially Algeria, which has expressed clear reservations about the role that Moscow plays in Mali and its support for groups. coup in the past year.