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REVEALED: Wagner | Vintage Vibes

Leaked files reveal Russia's blueprint to expand African Sahel alliance

Russian-linked consultants worked to strengthen and widen a pro-Moscow alliance in the Sahel region, using media campaigns, political pressure and cultural events to influence governments and public opinion, according to leaked internal documents seen by RFI and its partners.

Radio France Internationale

Thousands of power strips sold on Amazon recalled over fire risk

The Consumer Product Safety Commission warned of ‘serious injury or death from smoke inhalation and burns’ if the recalled power strips caught fire

The Independent UK

Propaganda Machine: Inside Russia's drive to shift Chad from Western influence

Russian operatives worked in Chad in 2024 to pull the country closer to Moscow and away from Western influence, internal documents reviewed by an international media consortium reveal. The papers show efforts to build ties with Chadian authorities, spread anti-Western narratives and target opposition figure Succès Masra during a tense…

Radio France Internationale

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French FM begins Central African visit as relations with Bangui warm

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has begun a two-day visit to the Central African Republic, the first time France has sent its top diplomat to the country in more than seven years. It signals a thaw in relations between Paris and Bangui after a period of tension.

Radio France Internationale

‘Villages are burned, animals slaughtered. We have to let the world know what’s happening’: Tinariwen and Imarhan fight for Tuareg music

Tinariwen went from Saharan weddings to Grammy-winning acclaim – but violence has forced the desert blues masters into exile. Now, a new generation is stepping in to help

The Guardian - UK

From Wagner to intelligence service SVR — How Russia rewired its Africa operations

Russia's foreign intelligence agency, the SVR, has reportedly taken over Wagner Group's African influence operations post-Prigozhin's death. An investigation reveals the SVR now directs political and information warfare, deploying teams across numerous African nations to spread disinformation and advance Moscow's interests. This strategic shift aims to bolster Russia's presence, particularly…

The Times of India

Central African Republic goes to polls as president seeks third term

Opposition hopes to tap into frustrations of people living in country where conflict remains a daily reality

The Guardian - UK

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Takeaways from AP report on sexual violence in Mali

Multiple women have told The Associated Press they survived or witnessed alleged rapes and other sexual assaults committed by a new Russian military unit in Mali

The Independent UK

Takeaways from AP's investigation into Russia's Africa Corps in Mali

Refugees from Mali have told The Associated Press that a new Russian military unit, Africa Corps, is committing abuses like rapes and beheadings

The Independent UK

As Russia's Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheadings to rapes

The Associated Press has spoken to over 30 refugees from Mali who say they witnessed beheadings, rapes and other abuses committed by Africa Corps, a new military unit under Russia's direct command

The Independent UK

Touadéra says peace deals are proof of progress as CAR readies for election

The Central African Republic is approaching a key election next month, with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra running for a third time under a new constitution that removed term limits. Speaking to RFI in Bangui, he says his country has made real progress – from peace deals with armed groups to the…

Radio France Internationale

Cargo Plane Tied to Russian Military Arrives in Venezuela As U.S. Further Expands Its Presence in The Region

A Russian cargo aircraft linked to Moscow's armed forces and the former Wagner mercenary group arrived in Caracas over the weekend as Venezuela highlights its Russian-supplied air-defense systems amid escalating tensions with the United States, according to a new report.

Latin Times

Six Britons acting for Wagner group jailed for arson attack on UK warehouse

Judge says men imprisoned over fire at site storing Ukraine aid planned terrorist campaign in interests of Russia

The Guardian - UK

Three Russia-friendly military junta-run African countries pull out of ICC

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger said they are seeking more "sovereignty" and hinted at replacing the ICC's functions with a domestic option.

Euronews

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Radio France Internationale

Wagner Russian paramilitary group's troubled legacy in Mali revealed

A new report has cast a harsh light on the Wagner Group's three years in Mali, showing how the Russian mercenary group was a source of instability rather than a solution to the country’s security woes.

The Guardian - UK

Prigozhin knew he was ‘doomed’ after failed rebellion, says mother

Violetta Prigozhina, 85, says she warned her son not to defy Putin’s authority before he was killed in a plane crash

Radio France Internationale

How Moscow is reinventing its influence machine across Africa

Russian operatives are using new tactics to expand Moscow’s reach in Africa, two years after the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. An investigation led by RFI and the monitoring group All Eyes on Wagner shows influence campaigns remain active from Angola to Chad.

Radio France Internationale

Five years after the 2020 coup, where is Mali today?

When Mali’s military staged a first coup on 18 August 2020, they said they were not planning on holding onto power and promised elections. But after a second coup that overthrew the transitional civilian government in 2021, the military is still in charge. Five years on, the country finds itself…

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The Independent UK

Russia asks Central African Republic to replace Wagner with state-run Africa Corps and pay for it

Officials in the Central African Republic have said that Russia has called on the country to replace the private Wagner mercenary group with Moscow’s state-run Africa Corps and requested payment for further security services

Radio France Internationale

Malian army and Wagner Group abduct and execute Fulani civilians, NGO claims

Mali’s armed forces and the allied Russia-backed Wagner Group have committed dozens of summary executions and enforced disappearances of ethnic Fulani men since January 2025, according to a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch.

The Guardian - UK

Rwanda and Russia look to lock in influence as CAR president eyes third term

Kigali and Moscow expected to back re-election of Faustin-Archange Touadéra as they seek to shield strategic interests

Al Jazeera

‘No one is safe’: Civilians, foreigners caught in escalating Mali violence

Indian nationals abducted while Mali’s army and armed groups clash, raising concerns crisis could resonate beyond Sahel.

Al Jazeera

UK court convicts 3 men of arson in attack linked to Russia’s Wagner Group

Attack on equipment for Ukraine was planned by Wagner mercenaries on behalf of Russian intelligence, prosecutors said.

The Guardian - AU

Ukraine war briefing: US weapons supply pause ‘caught Trump off guard’

Russian claim of deadly Ukrainian attack on Kursk beach; convictions over Wagner arson attack in London. What we know on day 1,232

Euronews

UK court convicts three of arson in attack organised by Russia's Wagner mercenary group

The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored.

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