A report released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) on June 10, 2026, alleges that Wagner systematically exploits the Central African Republic's resources. The NGO's report, titled 'Malicious Markets', claims gold and diamonds are extracted outside legal control and transported out of the country on Russian military cargo planes, bypassing Centrafrican customs. Wagner’s influence reportedly extended to banning official tramadol sales, allowing it to control parallel distribution circuits and profit from illicit trade. The report also states that a fuel monopoly generates between $17.5 and $30 million in illicit annual profits, which are then injected into Russian networks, noting the significant financial gains from these operations.
Economic Predation and Resource Control
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) report, made public on June 10, 2026, details how Wagner, operating as the Africa Corps, asserts control over key mining sites within the Central African Republic. This strategic control includes critical locations such as Ndassima, a significant mining area. By establishing a firm presence in these sites, the group is able to manage resource extraction directly, ensuring that the flow of valuable minerals like gold and diamonds remains under its purview. The report explicitly states that these precious resources are extracted outside legal frameworks and subsequently evacuated from the country using Russian military cargo planes, effectively bypassing official Centrafrican customs procedures and regulations.
The report further claims that Wagner-linked networks have established a full monopoly on fuel importation, a system reportedly supported by the Centrafrican government. This arrangement grants them significant leverage over a critical economic sector, allowing them to dictate terms and control prices. This exclusive control over fuel supplies is estimated to generate substantial illicit profits, ranging between $17.5 million and $30 million annually, which are then reportedly injected into Russian networks, further solidifying the financial ties. Beyond fuel, these networks are alleged to control their own clandestine trade routes for timber, various minerals, and counterfeit tramadol. These routes operate across regional borders, facilitating the illicit movement of goods, bypassing official channels, and contributing to the systematic exploitation of the country's natural resources and markets. The report notes how Wagner's influence extended to pressuring the government to ban official tramadol sales, thereby creating a vacuum that the group could fill with its own parallel distribution circuits, ensuring control over this illicit market.
Government Complicity and Evasion
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra systematically avoids questions from independent journalists concerning the Central African Republic's resources, a pattern noted by observers. On May 25, during the African Development Bank (AfDB) assemblies held in Brazzaville, a journalist directly questioned Mr. Touadéra about how a resource-rich country like the Central African Republic remains impoverished despite its natural endowments. During his response to this pointed inquiry, Mr. Touadéra reportedly did not mention the words 'gold', 'diamond', 'uranium', or 'wood', which are among the country's most significant natural resources. This omission, as noted in the GI-TOC report, raises further questions about transparency and accountability regarding the management of the nation's wealth.
The 'Malicious Markets' Report
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) titled its report 'Malicious Markets', a document made public on June 10, 2026. The report, dated September 15, 2026, details the alleged systematic exploitation of the Central African Republic's resources by Wagner. It asserts that gold and diamonds are extracted outside legal controls and transported from the country via Russian military cargo planes, bypassing Centrafrican customs, thus avoiding any official oversight or taxation. The report also claims Wagner's influence extended to banning official tramadol sales to control parallel distribution, creating an unregulated market for the group to exploit. It estimates a fuel monopoly generates between $17.5 million and $30 million in illicit annual profits, which are then reportedly injected into Russian networks, illustrating the scale of the financial gains from these illicit activities.
