Russian Mercenaries Retreat from Mozambique

Reports have emerged suggesting the Russian private security company, Wagner Group, has been forced to retreat from Islamic insurgents in Mozambique following heavy losses.

Around 200 men were forced to pull back from the northern region of Cabo Delgado after a joint operation between Wagner Group soldiers and local government forces was disrupted by an ambush.

It is thought that as many as 10 Russians were killed, some of whom were beheaded, alongside a further 20 government soldiers.

Often labelled mercenaries, Wagner Group is run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and is thought to be a useful tool used by the state to further Russia’s influence without being directly connected to the Kremlin.

Originally the group was made up of ex-Russian special forces, but due to its rapid expansion to help meet Russia’s foreign policy ambitions, it has to be “less picky with recruits”, according to Mark Galeotti, a Russian security analyst.

They are fighting an insurgency in the heavily forested Cabo Delgado, an impoverished and isolated region to the north of the country, where large deposits of natural gas have recently been discovered off the coast.  

The area has become a top priority for the government as it attempts to negotiate investments into the gas worth just shy of $40 billion.