Groundbreaking report from CNN's @clarissaward on human rights abuses by Russian private military contractors in the Central African Republic. Vitally important that this information is now being documented publicly. THREAD.
CNN interviews indicate that Russian mercenaries have been involved in the indiscriminate killing of civilians, torture, and forced disappearances, corroborating earlier statements by the UN Working Group on Mercenaries news.un.org/en/story/2021/…
@JCSteers at Vice reported evidence of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian mercenaries in the CAR in May vice.com/en/article/wx5…
An abundance of evidence - from social media, UN investigations, statements by local citizens, and imagery - indicates that Russian contractors are engaged in direct combat alongside the FACA in the CAR
Some of what Russian mercenaries in the CAR are doing may look bizarre or even comical - from blatant political influence campaigns to action movies.
But it belies something that is much more grim and exploitative and ultimately deepens the already grave humanitarian crisis
Previously, @C4ADS investigated this network, including shipments of batons and riot shields to the CAR c4ads.org/blogposts/2019…
We also looked at flight activity of aircraft in this network and related to Yevgeniy #Prigozhin
In their reporting, CNN makes reference to a reportedly Russian-linked mineral company in the CAR, Midas Ressources (Sic.). Africa Intelligence reported this company’s apparent links to Madagascar, where Prigozhin’s companies have been active africaintelligence.com/mining-sector_…
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The new UN Panel of Experts report on #Libya is groundbreaking in its use of flight analysis to demonstrate arms embargo violations. I'm really proud of the work our team @C4ADS contributed to support their investigations (including the image here:)
Our analysis of ADSB flight data with our platform @icarus_flights (viaualized here in #keplergl) illuminates how companies like Cham Wings have provided an air bridge to support Haftar