<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has appeared in his first video address since his failed mutiny in Russia, which suggests he is in Africa.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The BBC has not been able to verify where the video was filmed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The video posted on Telegram channels linked to the Wagner mercenary group shows Prigozhin in combat gear, saying the group is making Africa "more free".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wagner is believed to have thousands of fighters on the continent, where it has lucrative business interests.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prigozhin's soldiers are embedded in countries including Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR) - where rights groups and the UN accuse them of committing war crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UK last month imposed sanctions on the two heads of Wagner's operations in CAR, accusing them of torture and killing civilians.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wagner fighters have also been accused by the US of enriching themselves with illicit gold deals on the continent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the video, Prigozhin says Wagner is exploring for minerals as well as fighting Islamist militants and other criminals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We are working. The temperature is +50 - everything as we like. Wagner PMC conducts reconnaissance and search actions, makes Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free," Prigozhin can be heard saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Justice and happiness - for the African people, we're making life a nightmare for ISIS (Islamic State) and Al-Qaeda and other bandits."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He says Wagner is recruiting and the group will "continue fulfilling the tasks that were set - we made promises we would succeed".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prigozhin was photographed in St Petersburg during last month's Africa-Russia summit, shaking hands with Ambassador Freddy Mapouka, a presidential advisor in the CAR.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prigozhin has been keeping a low public profile since heading his short-lived mutiny in June, which lasted only 24 hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">About 5,000 Wagner troops seized control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and moved towards Moscow, with the stated aim of removing the military leadership.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, Prigozhin stopped the advance after negotiations with the Kremlin, which were mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Under a deal to end the mutiny, charges against Prigozhin were dropped and he was offered a move to Belarus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There had been very public infighting between Wagner and Russia's ministry of defence over the conduct of the war. Prigozhin repeatedly accused the ministry of failing to supply his group with ammunition.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prigozhin says he founded the Wagner group in 2014. A wealthy businessman with a criminal record, Prigozhin is known as "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2014, Wagner started backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, and is thought to have helped Russia annex Crimea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the war in Ukraine, Wagner had an estimated 5,000 fighters - mostly veterans of Russia's elite regiments and special forces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, Prigozhin said last June that its numbers had grown since the start of the Ukraine war to 25,000 fighters. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>