Over 1,400 Africans, including 300 Tunisians, join Russia’s Ukraine war effort

More than 1,400 Africans – including at least 300 Tunisians – have been recruited by Russian private‑military companies to fight in Ukraine since early 2023, a France 24 report said on Monday. The figure comes from interviews with families, former recruits and data gathered by human‑rights groups. Recruiters promised high pay and a way out of poverty, and many of the fighters were flown out of Tunisian ports and airports under false pretences.

The recruitment drive is part of a wider Russian strategy to tap Africa’s large pool of unemployed youth. Since the war in Ukraine began, Moscow has cultivated ties with governments in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and North Africa, offering military training and weapons in exchange for political support. In Tunisia, a country still reeling from a 2023 economic crisis, unemployment among 18‑ to‑30‑year‑olds is above 30 percent. Desperate for income, many have been lured by brokers who operate through social media, community networks and even local travel agencies. The promise of a $1,500 monthly wage – far above the average Tunisian salary – makes the offer hard to refuse for those struggling to make ends meet.

Families of the recruited say their relatives vanished after being promised jobs in construction or logistics. One mother from Sfax described how her son was taken to a “training camp” in a remote part of the country before being handed over to a Russian convoy that crossed the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Tunisian authorities have opened a limited probe but have not yet charged anyone, citing lack of evidence and diplomatic sensitivities. The European Union and the United Nations have called for a joint African‑European task force to investigate the trafficking network, warning that the flow of fighters could destabilise the continent and fuel further conflict abroad.

The report arrives as South Africa pushes ahead with its plan to become Africa’s digital gateway, sparking protests in Cape Town over land use and inequality, while Chad’s annual arts festival in Abéché drew thousands of young people, highlighting the continent’s cultural vibrancy amid growing security concerns. Human‑rights organisations say the next step is to tighten border controls, criminalise recruitment for foreign wars and provide economic alternatives for at‑risk youth. If governments act quickly, they could curb the pipeline that feeds Russia’s war effort and protect a generation from being dragged into a distant conflict.