French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday described the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as the “life insurance of failing regimes in Africa”, in comments made before he visits the continent.
He said that African nations would eventually stop turning to the Wagner Group as they would see that it only sows misery.
The Russian-based mercenaries have established a bloody presence in Africa, from the Central African Republic to the Sahel, where governments have pushed out French forces – replaced in some instances by Wagner paid fighters.
The French president plans a trip to Africa later this week, stopping first in Gabon before going to Angola, Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Macron said that France needs to demonstrate a “profound humility” in Africa, where it once reigned as a colonial power.
