Wagner in Sudan: A story of smuggled gold or a rapprochement with Russia

Western accusations of Moscow aim to highlight the negative consequences of Russian policies through its illegal activities.

Khartoum - A new crisis facing Sudan is related to the activity of the Russian Wagner Company, amid Western accusations of seizing gold in the country under the cover of its security presence, while Sudanese circles say that these accusations aim to pressure Khartoum to retreat from rapprochement with Moscow as part of a more comprehensive plan to strike Russia's foreign relations.

In its first response, Khartoum described the accusations made by the Western "troika", which includes the United States, Britain and Norway, as an attempt to involve it "in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in an arbitrary and arbitrary manner", against the background of the visit of the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ( Hemedti) recently to Moscow.

The ambassadors of the Troika countries in Khartoum on Monday said that the Wagner Group is engaging in "illegal" activities in Sudan that undermine "good governance and respect for the rule of law."

Siddiq Ismail: Russian influence is inherited and was not brought by the current Sovereignty Council

Western circles recently accused Russia of seizing smuggled gold from Sudan, and according to a joint report prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa last September, Sudan has lost about 267 tons of gold since 2013 through smuggling, which was denied by the Sudanese Ministry of Mining at that time. .

Western reports indicate that the “M-Invest” company, which acts as a cover for the Wagner Group, led disinformation campaigns on the Internet against the Sudanese revolution by planning to impede the mass movement of the demonstrations on the ground, a planning that many activists in the resistance committees confirmed that Wagner was involved in.

The speed of the Sudanese reaction to the accusations of the Western "troika" expressed the transitional authority's fears of imposing new sanctions on the country, but the response, which carried a direct attack on the Western ambassadors, proves that Sudan has decided its future direction towards further rapprochement with Russia.

The deputy head of the National Umma Party, Lieutenant-General Siddiq Ismail, said that Moscow has its old mining activities in Sudan, which is known to all, but the companies working in the field of exploration need to secure their activities and protect their interests, given that the situation is in need of more external support, and therefore It uses the Wagner Group to insure its companies, an issue that does not require Western criticism as long as this is done with the approval of state agencies.

Ismail added, in a statement to “Al-Arab” that the criticism directed at the Russian company is based on the complexities of the political crisis afflicting the country, and the international parties are looking for papers that can be published to protect their interests in Sudan. on the army.

The echoes of Hemedti’s visit to Moscow, coinciding with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which lasted for eight days, are still present in the positions of Western circles that believe that they have failed to keep Khartoum within the circle of openness to the global economy and consider that Russia is the strong arm that guarantees the presence of the military in power.

Ismail’s friend pointed out to “Al-Arab” that the Russian influence was not brought about by the current Sovereignty Council, but it is inherited and takes place in different forms and means, and is currently on the rise due to the presence of military figures at the head of the authority with ties to Russian security and military circles, which is reflected in the roles that can be played. Made by Wagner.

A report by the European Council on Foreign Relations at the end of last year stated that “personnel of the Wagner Group were distributed in mining exploration sites before providing political and military assistance to the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir, following a 2017 meeting between al-Bashir and President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.

The accusations leveled by the Western ambassadors target the siege of Russian economic activities in Sudan through the entrance to the internal tension as a result of the military coup against the civilian authority last October and the worsening economic conditions.

Muhammad Al-Nayer: Western accusations are linked to Sudan's trends in the next stage

Diplomats want to highlight the negative consequences of Russian policies through illegal activities in Sudan or because of the Ukraine war.

Contrary to Western concerns due to Wagner’s roles at the security level in many African countries in which it is spread and is an important Russian arm to impose hegemony and influence on areas with soft conditions, the situation is different for Sudan, where the Russian group appears to be linked to political and economic activities that achieve the interests of the military component in Khartoum.

Gold is one of Russia's havens to fortify its economy against Western sanctions that were imposed after the military operation in Ukraine. Sudan is also counting on this mineral as a major source of foreign exchange after losing three-quarters of its oil revenues and losing 80 percent of its foreign exchange resources.

Economic analyst Muhammad Al-Nayer said that Sudan has 140 companies working in the field of gold exploration, while the number of producing companies ranges between 12 to 15 and represents 20% of Sudan’s gold production, including the Russian companies “Kush” and “Miro Gold”, while the Civil or traditional mining constitutes 85 percent of the volume of Sudanese production, of which large quantities are smuggled, with no evidence of the involvement of Russian companies in smuggling operations so far.

About five years ago, companies entered to work in the states of the River Nile, the Red Sea and the northern states, such as the “Mirror Gold” company, which is linked to Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Security Group and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Al-Nayer said in a statement to Al-Arabiya that the Western accusations bear political dimensions and are linked to Sudan's orientations in the next stage, after a short period of openness to the Western camp without obtaining real support to fortify the economy. International monetary and compensation payments to the United States, which forced the trend towards China and Russia.

Observers linked the visit of the Chinese envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, to Khartoum on Monday, and the statement issued by the "troika" on the same day, and that the ambassadors' position "is a prelude to more pressure on Sudan because of its orientations, and part of the practices of the great powers towards controlling the formation of the international system.”