Tanzanian killed in Ukraine: We told him not to go

 via BBC

One says they last heard from him in October when he had said he had agreed to sign up with the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

"Nemes informed me and some other family members about joining Wagner, and we advised him not to," the family member, who did not want to give their name, tells the BBC.

But for the young man, who relatives describe as polite, God-fearing and supportive, there was an offer that was hard to resist.

The family says that Tarimo, who had ambitions to be an MP with the opposition Chadema party, had been in Moscow as an ICT master's student at the Russian Technological University. But he was then imprisoned some time after January 2021 for what were described as drugs-related offences.

Last year, he was enticed with a deal: sign up and be pardoned or stay in prison.

"He said he would join to free himself," the relative says.

This case echoes that of 23-year-old Zambian student Lemekhani Nyirenda, who had also been in prison in Russia and died last year fighting with Wagner.

Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo told parliament that he had been informed about how prisoners could be pardoned if they agreed to fight.

Last September, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin was seen in leaked footage outlining the rules of fighting, such as no deserting or sexual contact with Ukrainian women, and then giving the prisoners five minutes to decide if they want to sign up.

Tarimo's family has learnt that he died at the end of October while on a combat mission in Ukraine with Wagner.

"We last communicated with him on 17 October, when he was already a member of Wagner.

"We then got information in December from his friends over his death," which according to media reports, was a result of Ukrainian artillery fire.

The Federal News Agency, a Russian broadcaster used by Mr Prigozhin to boost his group's reputation, has published a video of what it said was Tarimo's memorial service in a chapel in the town of Goryachiy Klyuch. It reported that he had died on 24 October near Bakhmut, the scene of intense fighting in recent months.

Russia's state-owned domestic news agency, Ria Novosti, interviewed someone who said he had fought alongside Tarimo. He said the Tanzanian had died while trying to help a wounded soldier.

The Federal News Agency says that Tarimo was awarded a posthumous medal "for courage" by the Wagner Group.

Here 

Noble talked about "blacks to the front" and I've seen pics of blacks in Russia but never really believed any of it.

This is truly a mind fuck.

A black dude in Russia, gets arrested on drug charges, is offered a chance to fight for WAGNER! An organization with strong Nazi roots?

Just plain wow.

War makes strange allies and enemies.

Along the same lines.

It just dawned on me that except for the fighting being contained, on an economic/social/industrial front this is already a major regional war.

The longer it drags the greater the chance for this to broaden.