Articles by Francisco José Matías Bueno

On August 11, the BBC published what clearly promised to be a bombshell: an investigation based on information found on the electronic tablet of a Russian mercenary from the Wagner Group in Libya. This had been abandoned on the Tripoli battlefield by its owner during a retreat. Far from containing truly new information about the practices or means of the Russian company, the truth is that the documents found have only served to demonize once again a practice - that of the use of mercenaries -, of undoubted usefulness but criticizable for various reasons, such as the lack of transparency, political control or accountability. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

The Battle of Palma has marked a turning point in the activities of the al-Shabaab group in Mozambique. A year ago we wrote about the unfortunate adventure of Russian mercenaries in Mozambican lands. Since then the situation has only gotten worse. So much so that a rescue by sea, the only safe route, was needed for the thousands of people fleeing the city of Palma, taken by the al-Shabaab insurgency. The Western media has quickly described it as a new "Dunkirk", due to the similarities with Operation Dynamo, although the scale is different. However, what happened, in addition to being spectacular, is very worrying and predicts a complicated future for the southeastern African region. We tell you what has happened and the context surrounding this disaster. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the text [Keep reading…]

The presence of Wagner Group in Africa is no longer new. In fact, it doesn't stop growing. The recent presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic have led to a series of military operations by various rebel groups in order to prevent them. This would be another chapter within the conflictive country, if it were not for the presence of an unusual actor in this region: Russia. Specifically, from the mercenary company Wagner Group. Initially intended only to train the country's forces, for the first time we have had graphic evidence of their participation in combat actions, just as they have done before in Ukraine, Syria and Libya. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Revista Ejercitos taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following [Keep reading…]

On Wednesday, November 11, 2020, a document was published on the official website of the Russian Government, pending presidential ratification, of utmost importance for Russian foreign strategy. The text included a proposal for an agreement intended for the government of Sudan that, if materialized, would culminate in the opening of a permanent Russian naval base in the Red Sea. It is therefore necessary to analyze the context in which the news occurred, the possible motivations of the Kremlin and the foreseeable consequences of this movement. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

In recent days and coinciding with a series of setbacks suffered by Hafar (LNA) troops in Libya, two curious and complementary events have occurred: the departure of the bulk of the personnel of the Russian company Wagner and the arrival of aircraft to the country MiG-29 fighter without marks of any kind. Once again acting in the Gray Zone, Russia sends a clear message to both its protégé, Haftar, and its rivals, supported among others by Turkey: it is time to negotiate. [Keep reading…]