The Book That Started It All
Search
Categories
Archives
-
Recent Posts
-
Isenberg Video
- Here and There with Dave Marash, February 3, 2015
- Sep. 2, 2014 Al Jazeera English segment on Blackwater trial - Comment by David Isenberg
- Jan 2, 2010, Al Jazzeera (English), re Judge Urbina’s dismissal of charges against Blackwater contractors
- June 28, 2010. heard in “Controversy over CIA Blackwater contract,” The World
- August 17, 2010, on C-Span III, speaks on private military contracting
- Examining the role of the military contractor
- Has the Privatization of National Security Gone Too Far? The Future of Military Contracting, November 14, 2008, 9:30-11:00am, New America Foundation
- David Isenberg on PressTV - US contractor with poor ratings hired again
- Outsourcing War and Peace – Video
Recent Comments
- Carolyn Meinel on THE LICENSE TO FIGHT
- Carolyn Meinel on THE CONTRACT CENTURY
- Carolyn Meinel on THE CONTRACT CENTURY
- Carolyn Meinel on THE CORDILLERA PROTOCOL
- David Isenberg on Former student blasts military school for private defense contractors
Articles: Africa
Viewing as Articles
View in Timeline
Russia Recruits Mercenaries From Foreign Tourists for Fighting Against Ukraine
The victims are forced to choose between deportation with debt, imprisonment, or signing a contract with the Russian Armed Forces—the terms of which they often do not understand due to the language barrier. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Mercenaries, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Mercenaries, Russia, Ukraine
Leave a comment
In the Sumy region, the Main Intelligence Directorate identified a Russian mercenary from Mauritius who had been killed
The Main Intelligence Directorate reported that Prakash was born on April 16, 1995. He arrived in Russia on June 22, 2025, allegedly as a tourist, and was supposed to return to Africa on July 21, but remained in the aggressor country. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Leave a comment
Wagner’s Remnants Are Running an Opioid Empire in the Center of Africa
After years of setbacks, the trade has given Wagner fresh impetus after its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash and much of its operations absorbed into the Russian state. Up to 500 of its members remain far up the Oubangui River in the Central African Republic, where their control over the tramadol trade is enabling them to exploit the country’s rich timber and gold resources. The Global Initiative estimates that Wagner earns $180 million a year from its illicit gold exports there. The trafficking of the painkiller to neighboring countries is providing an additional revenue stream. Continue reading
The Main Intelligence Directorate has revealed the stories of two mercenaries from Cameroon whom Russia sent to carry out suicide attacks
The Main Intelligence Directorate reported that one of them was 23-year-old Ngulure Ibrahim Nkite, who arrived in Russia in February 2026 and signed a one-year contract to serve as a rifleman in April. After brief training, he was deployed to the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast, where, according to preliminary data, he was killed around May 12 during an assault in the Lyman area of Donetsk Oblast.
The second mercenary killed was 25-year-old Tapinjeu Namekong Loik, who had been studying at Michurinsk State Agrarian University in the Russian Federation. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), he was recruited into the Russian army and signed his contract in March 2026 in Vologda. Around April 23, the Cameroonian was killed near Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine
Leave a comment
Wagner’s remnants run an opioid empire in the Central African Republic, WSJ reveals
Remnants of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group have built a drug empire in the Central African Republic on the painkiller tramadol — a fief beyond the reach of law enforcement or even Moscow itself, the Wall Street Journal reported. Up to 500 mercenaries remain along the upper Oubangui River, led by Pavel Prigozhin, son of the group’s late founder. Their control of the opioid trade now funds weapons, militias, and a deepening grip on the country. Continue reading
Kenya’s Official: 289 Kenyans Were Recruited into Russia’s Military. 69 Are Dead or Missing. Over 150 Are Still Unaccounted For
Kenya’s Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has given the clearest official account yet of the scale of Kenyan involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday July 15, 2026, Njogu said government records show 289 Kenyans have at some point been recruited into Russia’s armed forces. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Leave a comment
Kenyan Was Offered a Driving Job in Russia. He Ended Up on Ukraine’s Front Line. He Got Out by Pretending to Be Mad.
Kenyan Was Offered a Driving Job in Russia. He Ended Up on Ukraine’s Front Line. He Got Out by Pretending to Be Mad. Continue reading
Botswana Issues Urgent Warning as Recruitment of Citizens for Russia’s War Rises at ‘Alarming Rate’
On July 18, 2026, Botswana’s Ministry of International Relations published an official press statement warning citizens against deceptive recruitment schemes that funnel Batswana into combat in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The statement is Botswana’s starkest public acknowledgment yet of the crisis – and it is not the government’s first. Continue reading
Sent in First to Die: DIU Intercepts Russian Commander Using Racial Slurs While Ordering African Mercenaries Into a Kill Zone in Donbas
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence has published another radio intercept from the front in Donetsk region – and it captures, in the commander’s own words, how Russian forces use African and Arab recruits as expendable assault troops.
The recording involves an officer of Russia’s 1194th motorized rifle regiment. In it, he issues a combat order for a grove assault in the Donbas kill zone. The tactic is explicit: African fighters go in first to breach the position and absorb fire. Arab fighters follow behind, with the Russian officer entering last. Continue reading
Tanaka Muzilikazi: Another Zimbabwean Dies Fighting for Russia After Being Lured With a Guard Job
Tanaka Muzilikazi, a young Zimbabwean man, has reportedly died while serving with Russian forces in Ukraine. Zimbabwean outlet ZimEye reported his death on July 19, 2026, citing growing concern over the recruitment of Zimbabweans into Russia’s armed forces through false job offers. Photos circulating on social media show him in Russian military uniform – confirming he was deployed. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Leave a comment
