The Wagner Group, Africa, and Western Media

Russia's Wagner Group has been in the news a lot lately. It's painted as the ultimate evil – indeed all mercenary groups fall under that label. And interestingly many of the charges levied at Wagner could also be brought against organisations such as Blackwater (or whatever name it goes by these days), as well as DynCorp, Aegis, Paladin, and many others. Western media is particularly determined to paint Wagner with the darkest of hues and I don't doubt they're a nasty bunch. Whether some have prison records or not makes little difference. There are myriad American soldiers and veterans that are criminals whether or not they've ever been convicted by a court of law.

There have been other reports of rivalries between Wagner and the Russian military and the suggestion that Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin is setting himself up as a rival to Putin, a kind of shadow or Deep State. Whether this is the case or not, I cannot say. It may be, but it also may be that Western counter-intelligence is trying to sow seeds of discord and doubt.

The West is particularly outraged not just because of Wagner's presence in Ukraine but its growing footprint in Africa. Hitherto most of the focus and rivalry within Africa has been with regard to Beijing and its interests, and yet increasingly Moscow is leaving its mark.

The West seethes and focuses on the villainy of Wagner and their plots to seize control and yet this doesn't square with the information available. Western media will invariably turn to analysts and Africa experts connected to the US Establishment – either in academia, journalism, or a think-tank. Instead, they might listen to the voices of the people in Africa and the political leaders that are increasingly turning away from Washington and instead are looking to Moscow. These voices are almost univocal in their claims. They're turning away from the United States and its Western allies because they perceive their activities to be imperialist in nature. Western powers and in particular the United States are not honest dealers. They interfere and attempt to manipulate internal politics and demonstrate a complete disregard for sovereignty. They treat the Africans as if they're subject colonies.

Additionally Africa leaders have grown tired of Western imperialist violence as their troops operate on their soil. While fighting Islamists and others militias, Western troops have frequently been involved in the massacre of civilians and yet this is covered up and Western media either whitewashes these episodes or simply will not report them – as opposed to Wagner, in which case such events are trumpeted whether true or not.

These activities are sometimes perpetrated by proxy militias and paramilitaries. One immediately thinks of the US relationship with some of the Right-wing paramilitaries and death squads in places like Colombia – and as recently revealed, Afghanistan.

Russia is accused of fostering relationships with these countries in order to extract their resources and to add insult to injury, they negotiate special rights and privileges for their businesses and soldiers operating in theatre. How many times have I heard near breathless and outraged Western reporters and anchors relaying this information.

In other words, they behave in exactly the same way Western governments do. And no one can compete with US Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) wherein US soldiers are basically granted immunity in these countries. It's not a negotiated diplomatic arrangement, but one imposed by a heavy-hand – or as these countries often see it, a boot in their face.

These countries are sick of US, French, and British hypocrisy and exploitation. Russia is doing the same but they don't have to listen to all the sickening rhetoric and theatrics about human rights and democracy – all of it being farcical. Russia is there on a quid pro quo basis and their activities serve the interests of Moscow. The United States is at war with Moscow (even congressmen on the BBC will admit this) and has effectively been in a state of enmity with Russia for many years. Any opportunity to thwart American influence and interests has to be attractive to them.

And though you'll never hear it on FOX, we're also witnessing The Trump Effect. The spectre of his presidency, his open disdain for 'shithole' countries, as well as his unabashed and unadulterated occupation of Eastern Syria and the seizure of its oil sent a clear signal to all of these countries – as did the instability he fostered.

For many who had already wanted to escape the US shadow, the Trump Effect justified their moves as it looks foolish to rely on the United States. The country is unstable and could in the near future become completely unreliable, especially if its gaze is turned inward in order to quell domestic disturbances.

Though the suggestion makes Western leaders and media figures gnash their teeth, Russia is viewed as an honest player – especially vis-à-vis the West, and in some cases even in contrast with Beijing.

And there's no fear that Russia is going to engage in the kind of hypocrisy we see in the West where the corrupt empires and would-be empires hypocritically use human rights-based arguments as a means to manipulate and other throw governments.

Isn't Wagner a destabilizing influence?

This argument is prima facie ridiculous. They are coming into an already unstable situation and one they did not create. The instability has been generated by NATO, France, the UK and the US. Western money and policy have fueled and funded the militaries, militias, and other proxies in its war against Islamism – itself a smokescreen and pretense for what the War on Terror in Africa has always been about – geopolitical control and resources.

Over two million people have been displaced by the Sahel Wars – largely the result of Western actions. There's a brutal circularity to it as Western actions, along with capitalism, and strained resources and overpopulation have led to desperation and the breaking of society. This produces the monsters like Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab. This leads to interventions and more brutality. This in turn leads to splinters groups and further radicalism in the form of groups like Daesh/Islamic State. All of this fuels immigration which then leads to military interventions in order to create stability – presumably so the emigration stops. But it doesn't. Instead it makes it worse. It's a destructive cycle of murder and madness.

In the case of Nigeria, the Obasajo presidency exacerbated already extant tensions within the country. This was made worse by the contrived nature of the country itself – a legacy of British colonialism. That legacy and its geopolitical implications are tearing the country apart. As I have repeatedly argued, there is a religious angle to the story, one downplayed by mainstream media. But likewise the Right and Christian media in particular continue to ignore or discount the sociological aspects to the conflict and the role it plays in the violent activities of groups like Boko Haram and some of the Fulani.

In the case of Nigeria, World geopolitics and the US war on terror have undoubtedly also played a role in fostering instability as did the growing effects of globalisation and its effect on Nigeria's economy. And in addition to the religious and cultural elements playing a role, now the Ukraine War has fomented further economic instability and it is beginning to flood Africa with weaponry.

And yet one of the primary factors for the instability in the Sahel region over the past decade has been the NATO war in Libya, the civil and proxy wars it produced, and its reverberations across the entire region. The overthrow of Gaddafi was a watershed and while US strategists and triumphant political leaders rejoiced, it unleashed violence and instability across almost the whole of North Africa. Maybe some of them knew it would and hoped that would be the case? I cannot say.

African leaders have also noted the 'funny business' regarding NATO's wars and its relationships with groups like Daesh/IS in places like Libya and Syria.

These African leaders have a more blunt and frankly more honest assessment of the current state of African geopolitics than what is found in the West. They see their lands as being caught in the Clash of Empires. The United States, Britain, France, and yes, Russia and China are all angling for control and seeking leverage for negotiation. Everyone is after resources and attempting to block their rivals from accessing the same.

Wagner is an evil organisation. I don't mean for a moment to suggest otherwise. But it needs to be understood that they're no more evil than many of the entities the US directly employs and supports all around the world. The way Wagner is covered by Western media has nothing to do with journalism or journalistic integrity. It's political and part of a large-scale propaganda campaign. Wagner's efficacy and success have enraged Western leaders and as such the organisation is marked for destruction.

As a Christian I find Wagner reprehensible and yet Erik Prince's Blackwater was worse – because Prince attempted to paint it as a Christian organisation or at least one that was (in his tortured understanding) fulfilling some kind of Christian role. Prince's subsequent career as an intelligence operative and organiser of death squads only demonstrates he and his host of allies in the US Imperial apparatus are cut from the same polluted cloth.

One need not be a fan of Wagner or Russian military policy but as Christians we should always be concerned with the truth. This is not about a good nation opposing an evil one and its evil mercenary arm. This is the story of an evil empire fighting evil enemies – some lesser and some greater, and its attempts to control the narrative.