Nigeria, Sept. 12 -- Last month, The Sentry, a United States (US) organisation that exposes 'multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy', issued a report asserting that Wagner had failed in Mali.

The report's conclusions made waves in Africa and beyond - especially Europe. The notorious Russian mercenary/private security company's entry into Mali in 2022/23 was regarded with alarm, including by pro-Western African states.

Wagner's arrival was seen in the West as the spearhead of Russia's determined strategy to displace Western, particularly French, influence in the Sahel and beyond. Wagner was invited in by the Assimi Goita-led military junta that ousted Mali's civilian government in...