EDITORIAL: Hemming in Russia’s naughty mercenaries

Last Friday, the Wagner Group, a paramilitary group of Russian mercenaries, suffered its second setback in less than a month after the British government formally banned it and its activities across the UK.

The ban has been on the cards for months. In terms of the ban, the Wagner Group, which is fighting along Russian forces in Syria and has destabilised parts of Africa, has been declared a terrorist organisation just like al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda. Those found to be supporting it face prison terms of as long as 14 years.

The ban, which is to be welcomed by peace lovers, comes less than a month after the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a mysterious plane crash in Russia. Though the probe in the crash has yet to be concluded, fingers are pointing ominously at the Kremlin, which fell out with Wagner two months ago.

After being exiled to Belarus, Vladimir Putin’s allies, the group was mulling expanding its operations in Africa. At present, its most publicised operations are in Mali, Chad and the Central African Republic. It has welcomed the coup in Niger which is on its prospective client list.

To make the mercenaries feel the pain, a global neighbourhood watch — including the AU and EU — should join the UK in proscribing the Wagner group.