Wagner troops arrive in Central African Republic ahead of referendum

FILE PHOTO: A military column of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities, with smoke from a burning fuel tank at an oil depot seen in the background, near Voronezh, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

BANGUI (Reuters) - Dozens of troops from Russia's Wagner private military company have arrived in Central African Republic to help secure a constitutional referendum on July 30 that could see the president extend his term, the presidency said on Monday.

Hundreds of Wagner troops departed CAR days after a short-lived mutiny in Russia led by the group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, that raised questions about the future of Wagner's military and commercial operations in countries including CAR.