Antony Blinken raises concerns on Wagner presence in Africa as Ghana, Burkina Faso locks horn over Russian mercenary link

During a closing news conference for the African leaders summit in Washington D.C., US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns related to Wagner’s forces that had been deployed in the past to countries like the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali and Libya.

He said Wagner Group has left a trail of havoc and violence “quite literally across the continent of Africa” in pursuit of mineral wealth and other “exploitative goals,”

The claim by the US top diplomat came after Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group have been operating near the country’s northern border with Burkina Faso.

He described Wagner’s presence as “distressing” during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week.

He alleged that the military junta in Burkina Faso had hired Wagner mercenaries to help fight extremists and awarded them a mining concession as a form of payment. Burkina Faso has not commented on the claim.

The statement of the Ghanaian leader has since angered Burkina Faso’s military government, forcing it to summon Ghana’s ambassador over allegations they have hired Russian mercenaries to help fight insurgents in the country.

Captain Ibrahim Traore’s military government has also recalled the Burkinabe ambassador in Accra for a “consultation” over comments made by the Ghanaian president.

The Wagner group is a private military contractor with close ties to the Russian government. Its forces are also known to be fighting in parts of Ukraine.