It is up to African nations to decide whether they continue working with the Wagner mercenary group, the Reuters news agency quotes Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson as saying.
Thousands of Russian mercenaries have been deployed to the continent since 2018, mainly working in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali.
Maria Zakharova’s comments follow the failed mutiny by Wagner over the weekend against Russia’s President Vladimir Putin who went on to disband the group – though its fate in Africa remains unclear.
“Whether they continue on in African countries, whether they continue to work under contracts and stay there depends on the sovereign authorities of the African countries,” Ms Zakharova is quoted as saying.
“The African countries themselves, their leadership, their political leaders have turned to specialists, experts, instructors, signed contracts with them and invited them to their territory.
“What is important, they pointed out not politicised appraisals, but the efficiency of those hired to perform very difficult tasks.”