Knowledge Series · The Dark Files
The Blood Gold
Wagner Group / Africa Corps — Africa Operations Dataset · 2017–Present
7
Countries
5,000+
Peak fighters
1,800+
Civilians killed (ACLED, to Aug 2023)
$2.5B+
Gold laundered (since Feb 2022)
0%
Tax on CAR extraction
Click markers for country operation details. Red = active. Grey = withdrawn. Data: ACLED, HRW, CSIS, CRS.
001 · Operations Database
Seven countries. One business model.
| Country | Entered | Personnel | Patron | Resource extraction | Gold value | Civilian dead | Status (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudan | 2017 | 300–1,000 | al-Bashir → SAF/RSF junta | Gold, oil refinery, uranium | $1.9B (32.7t smuggled, 2022–23) | Scores (miners, Darfur) | Active (Africa Corps) |
| Central African Republic | 2018 | 1,500–2,100 | Pres. Touadéra | Gold, diamonds, timber | ~$1B/year (tax-exempt) | 900+ (since 2020) | Active (Africa Corps) |
| Mali | 2021 | ~1,000 | Col. Goïta (junta) | Limited mining; $200M+ cash payments | $200M+ (cash from junta) | 500+ (Moura alone); 480+ (joint ops total) | Wagner withdrew Jun 2025 → Africa Corps |
| Libya | 2019 | 800–1,200 | Khalifa Haftar (LNA) | Oil infrastructure, strategic bases | — | Unknown (landmines ongoing) | Active — receiving Syria equipment |
| Mozambique | 2019 | ~200 | Government | Gas infrastructure (Cabo Delgado) | — | Minimal | Withdrawn (heavy casualties) |
| Burkina Faso | 2024 | 100–300+ | Capt. Traoré (junta) | Gold mining, regime protection | Emerging | Under documentation | Active (Africa Corps) |
| Niger | 2024 | 100+ | Gen. Tchiani (junta) | Uranium, gold | Emerging | Under documentation | Active (Africa Corps, Airbase 101) |
Shell companies by country: Sudan (M Invest, Meroe Gold) · CAR (Midas Resources, Lobaye Invest, Diamville) · Mali (Africa Politology). Laundering route: mine → Syria airbase → UAE markets → Russia.
002 · Gold Extraction Economics
$2.5 billion and counting
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total gold revenue since Ukraine invasion | $2.5B+ | Feb 2022 – Dec 2023 | Blood Gold Report / Consumer Choice Center |
| Sudan — gold smuggled | 32.7 metric tons ($1.9B) | Feb 2022 – Feb 2023 | CNN / Africa Defense Forum |
| CAR — annual mining revenue | ~$1B/year | Ongoing since 2018 | CSIS / Africa Defense Forum |
| CAR — Wagner tax rate | 0% | Per government deal | Africa Defense Forum |
| Mali — cash payments to Wagner | $200M+ | 2021–2025 | Blood Gold Report |
| Mali — monthly junta mining income (4 companies) | $10.8M+/month | Cash | Transparency International Russia |
| Ndassima mine (CAR) permit | 25 years + renewable | Midas Resources | Politico / CAR Mining Code |
| Sudan — gold flights under false manifests | 16 planes (2021–2022) | Via Syria airbase | CNN investigation |
| Laundering route | Mine → Syria → UAE → Russia | Ongoing | Blood Gold Report / NPR |
003 · Civilian Targeting Data (ACLED)
When Wagner operates independently, 70% of violence targets civilians
ACLED data shows Wagner targets civilians at higher rates than either allied state forces or the insurgent groups they were deployed to fight. In Mali, civilian targeting accounted for 71% of Wagner political violence events — ISIS-Sahel nearly doubled its territorial control during the same period.
| Context | Value | Comparison | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAR — Wagner civilian targeting rate (independent ops) | 70% | vs 26% (state forces alone) | Dec 2020 – mid 2022 |
| CAR — Wagner civilian targeting rate (all ops) | 52% | vs 26% (FACA) vs 42% (CPC rebels) | Dec 2020 – mid 2022 |
| Mali — Wagner civilian targeting rate | 71% | Exceeds both state forces and insurgent groups | Dec 2021 – 2023 |
| Mali — civilian fatalities (joint Wagner-FAMa ops) | ~480 | Highest since conflict began (2012) | Dec 2021 – 2023 |
| Total African civilians killed by Wagner | 1,800+ | As of August 2023 (ACLED / Economist) | 2017 – Aug 2023 |
| Mali — 2022 civilian deaths | Highest annual total | Worst year in decade-long conflict | 2022 (Wagner's first full year) |
| Mali — ISIS-Sahel territorial control | Nearly doubled | During Wagner deployment | 2022–2023 (UN Panel of Experts) |
Source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). "Wagner Group Operations in Africa: Civilian Targeting Trends in the Central African Republic and Mali."
004 · Incident Log
Documented events — 2021 to 2025
| Date | Location | Dead | Type | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27–31, 2022 | Moura, Mopti (Mali) | 500+ | massacre | FAMa + ~100 Wagner fighters. Helicopters assault market. 3,000 rounded up. Executed by shooting in back. 58 women/girls raped. OHCHR: "at least 500 killed in violation of international law." Worst single atrocity in Mali's war. | OHCHR / HRW / Amnesty |
| Apr 2022 | Gossi (Mali) | ~12 | false-flag | Wagner filmed burying bodies near army base, then produced doctored footage blaming French forces. France released satellite imagery exposing the false flag operation. | CSIS / French MoD |
| Sep 2021 | Besson, Nana-Mambéré (CAR) | 40+ | massacre | Wagner mercenaries attacked Fulani community on suspicion of rebel collaboration. Mass killing event. | ACLED |
| Jun 2022 | Tombouctou region (Mali) | Multiple | displacement | Wagner and FAMa looted towns, indiscriminately arrested civilians. Forced displacement to Mauritania. | HRW |
| Dec 2022 – Mar 2023 | Sossobé, Ouenkoro (Mali) | 20+ | massacre | Multiple operations. Civilians executed including woman and 6-year-old child. 12 men disappeared. Airborne ops with "white" foreign soldiers. | HRW Jul 2023 |
| Feb 2024 | Central/Northern Mali | 14+ | airstrike | FAMa and Wagner drone strikes on civilians during counterinsurgency. Two separate strikes on Feb 16–17. | HRW Mar 2024 |
| May 2024 onwards | Central/Northern Mali | 32+ | massacre | 32 civilians deliberately killed, 4 forcibly disappeared, 100+ homes burned. Ongoing operations. | HRW |
| Jul 25–27, 2024 | Tinzaouaten (Mali) | 20–80 Wagner | military | Tuareg rebels (CSP-DPA) ambush Wagner-Malian convoy. Wagner's worst single military loss in Mali. Ukraine claimed to have aided the rebels. | Wikipedia / Telegram |
| Jan 2025 onwards | Central/Northern Mali | Dozens | massacre | Ongoing summary executions and enforced disappearances of ethnic Fulani men. At least 12 executions, 81 disappearances, 30 homes burned documented. | HRW Jul 2025 |
| Jun 2025 | Mali (nationwide) | — | investigation | Forbidden Stories investigation: Wagner systematically abducted, detained, and tortured hundreds of civilians throughout deployment, held in former UN camps. | Forbidden Stories |
005 · Timeline
2014 — 2025
2014
Wagner Group founded (Prigozhin + Utkin) during Donbas conflict.
2015
Syria deployment. Business model established: military services → resource concessions.
2017
Sudan: first Africa deployment. Gold mining via M Invest / Meroe Gold.
2018
CAR: 175 "instructors" → rapid growth to 2,100. Ndassima gold mine acquired.
2019
Libya: supports Haftar with jets from Syria. Mozambique: withdraws after casualties.
2020
Tripoli withdrawal — landmines left in civilian areas. CAR operations peak.
Dec 2021
Mali: Wagner arrives as France withdraws. EU/US sanctions (Jan 2023).
Mar 2022
Moura massacre: 500+ executed. Worst atrocity in Mali's war.
Apr 2022
Gossi false flag: bodies buried, France blamed, satellite imagery exposes lie.
Feb 2022+
Ukraine invasion. African gold becomes primary sanctions-evasion channel ($2.5B+).
Jun 2023
Prigozhin mutiny. Marches on Moscow. Collapses in 24 hours.
Aug 2023
Prigozhin + Utkin killed (plane crash). ACLED: 1,800+ African civilians dead since 2017.
Jan 2024
Africa Corps deploys to Burkina Faso. Pavel Prigozhin (25) co-manages rebrand.
Apr 2024
Africa Corps enters Niger (Airbase 101). US forces withdraw by September.
Jul 2024
Tinzaouaten: Tuareg rebels kill 20–80 Wagner fighters. Worst military loss in Mali.
Dec 2024
Assad falls. Russia relocates military equipment from Syria to Libya.
Jun 2025
Wagner announces Mali withdrawal. Africa Corps replaces. Forbidden Stories exposé.
Aug 2025
Africa Corps active in 6 countries. CAR base expanding for 10,000 personnel.
Connected Intelligence
The pattern.
Wagner/Africa Corps operates in the same Sahel countries where JNIM and ISSP are expanding. In Mali, junta + Russian forces killed more civilians (76% of fatalities) than jihadists in 2024. The counterterrorism operation became the recruitment operation.
The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline passes through AES junta states that invited Wagner and expelled Western forces. Pipeline security is inseparable from this conflict. The same fracture lines that determine whether gas reaches Europe determine whether jihadists reach the coast.
Niger — where Wagner/Africa Corps deployed in 2024 — exited the MNJTF in March 2025, weakening Lake Chad Basin coordination against Boko Haram and ISWAP. The junta security model is failing across the entire region.
Russia relocated military equipment from Syria to Libya after Assad fell (Dec 2024). Libya provides logistical and financial support to Sahel groups. Wagner gold laundering routes (mine → Syria → UAE → Russia) run parallel to weapons pipelines flowing the other direction.
Sources & Attribution
Data compilation, cartography, and analysis: Dancing with Lions
© Dancing with Lions 2026