Can the West break Wagner’s sway in Africa?

A view of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where the Wagner group is deeply enmeshed despite the death of its founder. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

IN palmier times, the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appeared at a Russian cultural centre in the capital of the Central African Republic, sitting with schoolchildren and promising them free laptops.

But Prigozhin’s death in August has rattled the mercenary group’s once-cozy relations with the country, which is now weighing offers from Russia and Western countries, including the United States, to replace Wagner as its primary security guarantor.