[MtnClimber]

A really informative article. Much more information than I was able to excerpt. If you have an ad blocker I recommend reading the whole thing.

[BobL]

Agree, good article. As to Russia, I doubt they care about what their mercs do in Africa, but they do likely care about Venezuela, although that may be part of the deal-making with Russia - “you allow us to take care of our backyard and we’ll allow you to take care of your backyard”.

[daniel1212]

Communication on the reason for actions is lacking.

but Nacho Montes de Oca, cited in article, offers, @nachomdeo ·

Sep 3 Translated from Spanish The logic of the narcos was to seek out little-surveilled zones as an alternative for bringing the drugs into Europe, a market as attractive as that of the US and one that moreover continues to grow. The increase in consumers of 9% since 2016 explains the interest that this route

The poorly guarded waters and skies of the Gulf of Guinea are the ideal crossing site. The countries in the region are too poor to have the means of surveillance, and their incomes too low to resist the temptation of joining the chain of complicities of the narco.

Translated from Spanish From there, they can be smuggled onto ships heading to Europe or take the land route that crosses the Sahel, particularly through Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. This is where France comes back into the picture, having been ousted from those nations by Moscow-sponsored coups.