The departure of hundreds of Russian Wagner troops from Central African Republic is part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal, a spokesperson for the CAR presidency said on Saturday.
of military and commercial operations across CAR and other parts of Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Reports of the recent departure of large numbers of Wagner personnel from CAR by plane have fuelled speculation in recent days that the group is pulling out of the country, where they have been helping the government to quell several rebel insurgencies since 2018. But CAR presidential spokesperson Albert Yaloke Mokpem said "it is not a definitive departure but a rotation."Several hundred Wagner troops have recently left the country, a military source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity and without giving further details.
It is not known how many remain. Some 1,900 Russian mercenaries, including from Wagner, were believed to be operating there.Analysts have said Wagner received logging rights and control of a gold mine in CAR. In June the United States put on a CAR company as one of several including one from the UAE that it said was involved in financing Wagner through illicit gold dealings.
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