After the death of Yevgeni Prigojin, the founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, his son Pavel Prigojin inherited his legacy and managed to keep one of the group's most important strongholds in the Central African Republic. According to information from diplomatic and intelligence sources in the region, Pavel, who is 28 years old today, took over the management at the age of 25 after his father died in an explosion in his private plane following a public conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite the Kremlin's attempt to control Wagner's legacy, it is claimed that young Prigozhin expanded his gold, weapons and drug activities in the country. It is estimated that the family's annual income from its legal and illegal businesses exceeds $400 million.
It is stated that approximately 500 mercenaries under Pavel's command controlled the gold mines, served as the close guard of the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadéra, and fought against rebel groups. These duties have turned Wagner into a security force that the Bangui administration does not want to give up. According to information from regional military officials and diplomatic sources, Pavel also took over the arms trade run by his father; It is alleged that he sold weapons to groups in Sudan and Libya. Thus, it is claimed that the influence of the structure in the Central African Republic extends beyond the country's borders to other conflict areas.
THE ROUTE OF GOLD BELARUS
Gold is at the center of this order. It is reported that Pavel increased the production in the country's largest gold mine, which his father took control of, with the approval of the government and increased the annual production value to approximately 250 million dollars. Evaluations from diplomatic sources indicate that son Prigozhin's father does not have any difficulty in continuing his activities in the country. According to government officials and former partners of the group, Pavel met with Wagner representatives and government officials at his hotel in Bangui in April to discuss ways to secure the flow of gold to foreign markets. It is stated that Minister of Mines Rufin Benam Beltoungou, who is known as Wagner's close ally, accepted the issuance of documents showing that the gold belongs to the government. According to local officials and researchers, the destination of the shipments in the last three months was Belarus, a close ally of the Kremlin.
BANGUI SUPPORT AGAINST THE KREMLIN
After his father's death, Moscow took control of Wagner's activities within Russia and established the Afrika Corps, which was directly affiliated with Russian defense and military intelligence officials. Pavel quickly went to Bangui and met with the group's representative in the country, Dmitri Siti, and its military commander, Denis Supronov. According to the information conveyed, Touadéra, in a diplomatic message, asked Moscow not to replace Wagner fighters with the Russian army; He then integrated mercenaries into police, army and intelligence units. According to the assessment of military and diplomatic sources, Bangui has made more efforts than other capitals to maintain the "mines for protection" system, which it thinks is working.
Wagner's influence in the country is not limited to security and mines. It is reported that Siti, who is said to have become Pavel's number two, manages radio stations financed by the group and broadcasting anti-Western propaganda. It is stated that these publications provide support to Touadéra. Sources state that the president won his third term in the elections held in December, but international observers did not find the elections free and fair. His opponents refer to Touadéra as "Wagner's president," referring to the group's influence on the administration.
NEW TARGET: RESERVES AT THE BORDER
It is stated that Pavel's next target is new gold reserves. According to Diplomatic Sources, the fighters under his command conducted aerial reconnaissance with Russian helicopters over the gold exploration areas near the South Sudan border. This interest in new fields points to the quest for expansion of the order in which conservation service, political influence and mining revenues are interconnected in the Central African Republic. Despite Moscow's efforts to reorganize its military presence in Africa, the Wagner network, passed down from father to son in Bangui, is trying to both increase its production in existing mines and reach new reserves.
