The Wagner Group has reported a series of violent incidents and military operations in Niger between December 7 and 20, 2024, involving attacks by terrorist groups and counter-insurgency measures.
The report, published on the group’s Telegram channel, detailed operations in the Chatoumane, Samira, and other regions, with significant casualties on both sides.
A security analyst and counter-insurgency expert in Lake chad region and west Africa Zagazola Makama said the group responded the recent attack with heavy guns against armed terrorist in the region.
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Chatoumane (Dec. 10): An attack by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GANE), a Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)-affiliated faction, targeted a military camp, reportedly killing between 60 and 100 soldiers.
Samira (Dec. 12): GANE launched another assault on a village near the Samira gold mine, leaving 11 civilians dead.
In a large-scale operation aimed at neutralizing GANE insurgents, Wagner claimed that hundreds of terrorists were killed, and 12 motorcycles destroyed.
However, the operation also saw the loss of 24 soldiers from the allied forces.
The Wagner Group’s report prominently displayed the logo of “African Initiatives,” reflecting Russia’s growing influence in the Sahel through partnerships with local governments.
Observers have noted that this branding, reportedly coordinated by Niamey’s Russian House, is part of an effort to counter Western influence in the region.
The Sahel continues to face escalating insecurity, with terrorist groups like JNIM and its affiliates carrying out coordinated attacks across Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
The involvement of external actors like Wagner has added a new dimension to the region’s security landscape.
Wagner group which is believed to be Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, and since then by Pavel Prigozhin.
Pavel Prigozhin who is the 2nd son and among three of the Prigozhin family continued the work of his father since 2023 as the chief commander of the group.
The Wagner Group has used infrastructure of the Russian Armed Forces. Evidence suggests that Wagner has been used as a proxy by the Russian government, allowing it to have plausible deniability for military operations abroad, and hiding the true casualties of Russia’s foreign interventions.
But, Russia has denied and continued to deny the said relationship with group.