Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the (a) role and (b) impact of (i) the Wagner Group and (ii) other Russian funded mercenary forces in Africa.

The UK regularly assesses, alongside our international partners, the Kremlin's malign use of Wagner and other proxy Private Military Security Companies. Wherever these mercenaries operate, there are reports of human rights abuses; they are destructive for communities, exacerbate existing conflicts and exploit natural resources. We sanctioned Wagner Group in its entirety in 2022, several persons associated with Wagner's actions in Africa in 2023, and sanctions remain an option going forward. We are supporting African partners to respond and strengthen their resilience to Russian malign activity, including through humanitarian, development and stabilisation programmes, and strategic security and defence relationships.