The Russian Wagner Group mercenary organization has tried to enlist some of its units in Africa to fight for Russia in Ukraine, the top commander of U.S. military forces in Africa told VOA.
“We’re seeing some efforts to recruit Wagner units for Ukraine,” Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said in an exclusive interview with VOA this week.
Townsend added those units would likely transfer primarily from Libya, where hundreds of Russian mercenaries are supporting eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Townsend said AFRICOM has transferred some resources to the U.S. European Command as Russia invaded Ukraine.
He said his command had provided EUCOM about 30 personnel, “mostly intelligence analysts and planners,” along with some of the combatant command’s shared intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and aircraft.