Dozens of people said to have been killed in attacks allegedly involving Wagner Group fighters
Russian mercenaries have mounted a series of bloody attacks on artisanal mines in the lawless border zones between Sudan and in an effort to plunder the region’s valuable gold trade, witnesses and experts have said.
The fighters shot indiscriminately with automatic weapons, smashed equipment, destroyed buildings and stole motorbikes, they said. One described a mass grave containing more than 20 victims. Others spoke of hundreds dead or injured. Mohammed Zain Mohamed Wadi, 42, said he was attacked in an area called Jabal a-Nar, about 50 miles west of the frontier with Sudan, by Russians, some in armoured vehicles, and soldiers from CAR in pickup trucks or on motorbikes. Wadi said he helped to bury 21 of the victims, all Sudanese. Another six people were also killed.
A third witness said as many as 70 people, including his brother and six relatives, died when Russians and Africans attacked the mine where he was working in March. “I had to run for seven days. I saw them coming … to kill and rob everybody their hands could reach,” said Adam Zakaria, 36, from Neyala in South Darfur.
Such concessions have gained in importance as the rouble has come under pressure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Precious metals, especially gold, could help Vladimir Putin’s regime survive the economic impact of sanctions. Wagner has been active in a dozen countries across Africa, and has been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses on the continent. Western officials allege the Kremlin is using Wagner to advance Russian economic and political interests across Africa and elsewhere.
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