Recently, footage from Sudan has emerged, which in various cases, Ukrainian soldiers have been seen fighting in the country’s civil war. For context, the civil war mainly involves a rebel militia, called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting against the Sudanese Armed Forces. Supporting the RSF is Russian PMC Wagner. The PMC is acting in Russian interests, securing mining and oil extraction operations in the region.
In 2017, Wagner Group had entered Sudan. A gold mining company in Sudan, Meroe Gold, is believed to be a front for Wagner Group activities. Meroe Gold is a daughter company of M Invest, which itself was under the control of Wagner’s former leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Just between February 2022 and February 2023, an estimated 32.7 metric tons of gold was smuggled by Wagner.
Then there is the question of Ukrainian involvement. While video footage may not have been definitive at first, over time in the past few weeks there has been increasingly mounting evidence of Ukrainian involvement in Sudan. A more significant piece of evidence, is a footage detailing Ukrainian soldiers apprehending 3 men, 2 of which are African and claiming to be locals. The other one is light skinned, being interrogated in Russian. He claims that they are Wagner fighters. The piece of evidence that is crucial in pointing to Ukraine is that the interrogator bares an arm patch with a symbol of an owl, which is the symbol for the Main Directorate of Intelligence.
A geopolitical analyst from the company RANE, which provides geopolitical insights, has been pondering over the reasons for Ukraine’s involvement, talking to the paper The New Arab. The analyst claims that by attacking Russian interests abroad, it would open up further potential opportunities to do the same in other regions as well. Not only this, but the analyst believes that Ukraine may aim to divert Russian forces away from the frontline.
Prior to this, Ukraine was already in support of the Sudanese Armed Forces. On the other side, Russia proper was backing the Rapid Support Forces. There are multiple other countries involved in backing the 2 sides, not only other African nations, but also Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on the side of the Sudanese Armed Forces, then the UAE on the side of the RSF. This complex situation has a devastating impact on civilian lives, having resulted in 15,000 deaths.
The various state actors involved demonstrates the complexity of the situation. It is important to monitor how Ukraine’s increased involvement may have repercussions, particularly at home.
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