Monument to Yevgeny Prigozhin Unveiled in CAR

A statue honoring Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late leader of the Wagner Group, was unveiled in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). The five-meter tall monument depicts Prigozhin in bulletproof clothing holding a walkie-talkie, alongside his second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, who carries a Kalashnikov. The unveiling ceremony was attended by local officials, Wagner fighters, and was part of ongoing Russian influence in the region, initiated when President Faustin-Archange Touadéra invited Wagner to assist in combating rebel groups since 2018. Both Prigozhin and Utkin died in a plane crash in August 2023, shortly after Wagner's failed insurrection against the Russian government. The statue symbolizes the cooperation between CAR and Russia, particularly in security and resource management. Wagner's presence in Africa is significant, with estimates suggesting around 2,000 fighters currently in CAR and additional forces in several other countries.