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Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the Wagner Group’s evolution into the Africa Corps and its impact on development in the Sahel. As mercenaries blur lines between security providers and economic actors, we explore their role in perpetuating instability, sovereignty and challenging sustainable progress.

Paper long abstract:

The transformation of the Wagner Group into the so-called Africa Corps represents a pivotal moment in the evolving dynamics of conflict and development in the 21st century. Once emblematic of covert Russian foreign policy, this mercenary group has strategically repositioned itself as a quasi-legitimate actor in fragile states across Africa, particularly in the West African Sahel. This paper critically examines how this evolution — from shadowy military contractor to a pseudo-state instrument — affects the development trajectories of African nations. The analysis highlights how the Africa Corps leverages its dual roles as a security provider and an economic actor, intertwining its operations with local governance structures, resource extraction industries, and geopolitical agendas.

The paper argues that while such mercenary groups ostensibly fill governance and security voids, they simultaneously perpetuate cycles of instability by exploiting weak institutional frameworks. Their growing influence challenges traditional notions of state sovereignty, disrupts regional integration efforts, and reshapes the development nexus in ways that prioritise short-term stability over long-term progress.

By focusing on the Sahel, a region grappling with terrorism, poverty, and fragile governance, the paper delves into the socioeconomic implications of mercenary involvement. It questions whether the legitimisation of such actors contributes to development or entrenches dependency and inequality. The paper situates the rise of Africa Corps within broader debates about the commodification of security and its impact on the aspirations of African nations to achieve sustainable peace and development. This critical exploration offers insights into a complex and under-explored dimension of modern conflict transformation.