mercenary

The current Malian junta expelled a French-led force and hired Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, but they, too, failed to quell the violence.

It is also not clear how much control the RSF leadership has over its foot soldiers – a loose mix of hired militias, allied Arab groups, and regional mercenaries, many from Chad and South Sudan.

Numerous foreign powers have poured arms and funding into the conflict, including Russian mercenary groups and powerful Middle Eastern countries.

Ringleader Dylan Earl was recruited by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organisation that acts on behalf of the Russian state and is proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist organisation.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny KC said Earl also "sought to pay a person identifying as a serving UK soldier" for intelligence for the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.