Dear Friend,
When the notorious Wagner Group first set foot in the Central African Republic five years ago, the country had already been ravaged by two decades of armed conflict. Yet while Central African President Touadéra and his inner circle benefited from Wagner’s military force, shoring up their power and violently establishing control over much of the country, the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated.
Last year, the Central African Republic had a mortality rate of 5.6%, more than double the estimate for any other country in the world, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Columbia.
A major investigation by The Sentry found that in order to establish control, Wagner and CAR’s ruling network have perpetrated widespread, systematic, and well-planned campaigns of mass killing, torture, and rape throughout the country. In particular, Wagner has focused on establishing control over the country’s gold and diamond mines, using violent military campaigns and ethnic cleansing tactics to clear civilians from lucrative mining areas. Wagner’s motto for these operations is “leave no trace,” which often means: kill everyone, including women and children.
The Sentry needs your support: This predatory and killing machine will not disappear without our collective efforts. In the aftermath of Wagner’s failed coup, its troops may withdraw from Ukraine, and its leadership structure may evolve, but Russia has already indicated that its operations in Africa will continue.
