Wagner, founded in 2014, routinely operates in African countries for access to natural resources such as gold and precious stones. Analysts say this has become a crucial part of its business model generating millions of dollars which has helped Russia to evade sanctions imposed over the Ukraine war. CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has used Wagner to fight insurgencies since 2018. Mali's military junta, whose leaders seized power in 2021, have also called on Wagner to fight Islamist rebels. Wagner has been accused of carrying out human rights abuses in the CAR and Mali. Calls by the United Nations earlier this year for an independent investigation into possible crimes by Malian troops and Wagner fighters in March 2022 soured the UN's relationship with Mali's ruling junta. Earlier this month Mali called on the UN to withdraw its 13,000-strong peacekeeping force,