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African fighters are present on the front line in Ukraine. Some are there of their own free will. But for others, there may have been deception. Believing they were going to work in Russia, they were sent to fight.
A testimony from a Cameroonian highlights the dubious methods used by certain Russian organizations to find front-line fighters in Ukraine. It’s true that since 2022, Wagner and other private companies have been recruiting Africans to fight in Ukraine, in exchange for wages. They knew what they were signing up for and the risks they would be taking. However, it seems that for many others, this was not the “job” they were expecting at all. What’s for more, according to this testimony gathered by RFI (Radio France Internationale), certain African states are covering up the “human trafficking”. There are shenanigans to send men with no military training to wear down Ukrainian defenses before sending in seasoned troops with “real” Russians.
The lure of gain
A Cameroonian describes his career path. After a career in his country’s public services, the laboratory technician by training had found a poorly-paid job installing air conditioners. It was at this point that he was contacted by a “friend” in May 2024. The friend offered him a job in Russia, at a much higher salary than in his home country. He was then put in touch with an agency that took care of the paperwork, “without a language test”. Accompanied by 4 other people, he then left Yaoundé for Russia, after having had to pay an application fee of 3.5 million CFA francs (around €3,900). But the adventure was not to be.
A threat in the back
The job description described a janitorial role responsible for cleanliness in a military camp. Instead of a broom and a bunch of keys, he was handed a Kalashnikov. Once in Russia, he was integrated into a group with other Africans. He had to undergo a few weeks’ training before going to the front line! He then realized that the contracts were bogus. And so were the salaries. To get out of the situation, he contacted his embassy, which denied that any Cameroonians were at the front line. In his eyes, it was a betrayal to see his country “covering up” such “human trafficking”. The situation on the front line is doubly dangerous. In addition to the Ukrainian defense, he’s confronted with Russian troops ready to kill or torture deserters and those who retreat.
Cannon fodder
The Cameroonian clearly evokes a strategy of exhausting the Ukrainians by sending thousands of men from Africa and Asia in Russian uniforms to face the danger. In particular, he explains that he had to throw himself in front of the Ukrainian army, which was invisible because it was entrenched, trampling over numerous decomposing corpses. Apart from death, the only way out is to be taken prisoner or to injure oneself, sometimes deliberately. In the latter case, it’s only a short respite in hospital before being sent back into the hell of war. All the more so as he explains that, unlike the troops with native Russians, he and his companions could not benefit from the jamming tools of Ukrainian drones. “We’re very poorly equipped. [The Russians] send us out with nothing at all to fight and die.”
Several nationalities
The witness claims to have met other Cameroonians, some of whom have since died, Malians, Gambians, Egyptians and North Africans. Some were genuine volunteers for the war, others had been manipulated. Several Ukrainian and independent reports mention the presence, in addition to North Koreans and the nationalities already mentioned above, of Nepalese, Burundians, Somalis, Rwandans, Sierra Leoneans and Ugandans. There were also Indians, but New Delhi diplomacy had publicly denounced the deception and obtained the repatriation of 45 nationals. The Cameroonian witness also reported that 3 of the group of 5 who had taken the same plane as him had already been killed. However, the recruitment agency had wished them “bon voyage” with a pretty banner…
Africans deceived by Russians on the front line
