“Yo– Another plane arrived in Bangui with trainers to work in the Central African Republic. The expected turnover continues. Several hundred experienced Wagner professionals join the working team in the countryThe Community of International Security Officers (COSI) announced on the social network Telegram.
“The Russian instructors will continue to assist soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Central African Republic and the CAR law enforcement forces to ensure security during preparations for the constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30,” the statement said.
Along with the statement, COSI posted a photo showing at least thirty masked men in uniform queuing on what appears to be an airport tarmac.
According to the US, COSI is a front company for the Wagner Group in the Central African Republic. It is run by Russian Alexander Ivanov, who has been under US sanctions since January.
In a press release published on Sunday, COSI stated that its trainers have been training Central African security forces for “more than five years” and have thus helped “improve the overall level of security” in the country.
In early July, several foreign sources claimed that an unknown number of Wagner’s mercenaries were leaving the CAR, a claim vehemently denied by the African country’s government.
The PMC’s status and continued operations had been uncertain since its failed mutiny in Russia on 23-24 June.
But its interventions abroad, namely in Syria and in several African countries (Sudan, Central African Republic and Mali), have not yet been publicly questioned.
Once the riot was declared over, Bangui announced that Wagner’s activities would “continue”.
Also read: The future of the Wagner Group begins to ‘take shape’
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