Central African Republic Unveils Monument to Wagner Founder Yevgeny Prigozhin

A monument honoring Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased leader of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group, has been revealed in the Central African Republic (CAR). The statue, depicting Prigozhin and his second-in-command, Dmitru Utkin, both of whom died in an aircraft crash last year, was erected in Bangui, the capital city. The sculpture portrays Prigozhin in bullet-resistant attire, holding a walkie-talkie, alongside his colleague who is armed with an AK-47 rifle. Wagner Group fighters have been present in the CAR since 2018, having been invited by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to assist in combating rebel factions. The group’s affiliated companies subsequently secured contracts to operate gold and diamond mines. While they also conduct operations in several other African nations, their most significant presence is in the CAR. A statement from the CAR national police indicated that the monument forms “part of the bilateral relationship” between the CAR and Russia. The unveiling ceremony for the statues was attended by Defence Minister Rameau Claude Bireau and high-ranking military officials. Prigozhin and Utkin, among others, died on August 23, 2023, when their private jet crashed north-west of Moscow, killing everyone on board. This incident occurred two months after their failed mutiny in Russia. The Kremlin denied any responsibility for the crash. The Wagner Group has since been rebranded as Corps Africa, though it continues to operate under the Wagner name within the CAR. President Touadéra has defended their ongoing presence in the country. He informed the BBC in an interview last December, “It was said that 80% of the territory was occupied by armed groups. Today, thanks to this co-operation, these figures are completely reversed.” Even before the inauguration of the Prigozhin statue, Russia’s influence in the country was already memorialized by a statue in Bangui, featuring Russian troops protecting a woman and her children. Despite its rich reserves of diamonds, gold, oil, and uranium, the CAR has one of the world’s most impoverished populations. The nation has experienced nearly continuous instability since gaining independence from France in 1960. Violence has diminished in recent years, although sporadic clashes still occur between rebels and the national army, which is supported by Wagner. Critics allege that President Touadéra’s government is sustained by Russian mercenaries and other groups in exchange for the exploitation of the country’s resources. Prigozhin established Wagner in 2014, with its initial activities primarily focused in the Middle East and Africa, before its deployment to Ukraine at the beginning of 2022.