First mercenary from Africa, who fought on side of RF, killed in Kursk region. PHOTO

A 32-year-old African mercenary, Derrick Ngamana, who fought against Ukraine on the side of the aggressor country, Russia, was killed in the Kursk region near Sudzha. He became the first citizen of the Central African Republic to be identified among the killed Russian mercenaries in the Kursk region.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Sistema and Radio Liberty investigation project.

What do we know about the mercenary from Africa?

Investigators found that Ngamana died in the battles for the village of Novoivanovka, Suzhansky district, Kursk region, Russia, and was a citizen of the Central African Republic (CAR).

According to the death notice, the 32-year-old mercenary fought as part of an assault company of the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet. This brigade suffered significant losses in the battles for the Kursk region.

A source associated with the command of a Russian marine brigade confirmed the death of the mercenary to the publication. They noted that there may be "plenty" of people from African countries fighting in the Kursk region. However, the source does not know the exact number of them.

A mercenary entered Russia "as a tourist"

Derrick Ngamana is the first citizen of the Central African Republic to be identified among those killed in the Kursk region.

He previously served in the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) as a corporal. The UN website has a picture of Ngamana from 2018, in which he is pictured during a joint patrol of the city of Banguazou with UN peacekeepers.

The publication found out that in 2023, Ngamana turned to a family friend and CAR diplomat in Moscow, Fortune Wangapou, for help in entering a Russian university, but at the time he did not have the means to travel to Russia.

Wangapou noted that in July 2024, Ngamana informed him that he had found another way to get to Russia - as a tourist.

"Derrick chose this path by voluntarily joining the Russian armed forces, and it was his own decision," the diplomat wrote on Facebook.

Ngamana's younger brother claims that he signed a contract with the Russian army and went to fight in Ukraine in September 2024. According to his brother, Ngamana told him that he hoped to "raise his children" and "provide them with a better future".