U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Officials from Mali

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions today on three officials from Mali, accusing them of assisting the Russian private military group Wagner in starting and expanding its activities in the country. The sanctions targeted Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara, who is said to have visited Russia several times in 2021 to sign an agreement between Wagner and the Malian transitional government, allowing the group to deploy forces in the West African nation. The sanctions list also included Air Force Chief of Staff Alou Boy Diara and his deputy Adama Bagayoko. Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, "These officials have made their people vulnerable to the destabilizing activities of the Wagner group and human rights abuses while facilitating the exploitation of their country's sovereign resources by Wagner in its operations in Ukraine."