The US has imposed sanctions on three top officials of Mali’s junta for their alleged involvement with the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries.
Wagner fighters have been accused of committing atrocities alongside the Malian army fighting jihadists.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said civilian casualties had more than tripled since Wagner forces were deployed to Mali in late 2021.
Mali’s government has never officially acknowledged Wagner’s presence.
But the shadowy mercenary group is believed to have about 1,000 soldiers in Mali, one of several African states in which it operates.
Their deployment had followed a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Mali’s military regime and France, prompting the former colonial power to withdraw its counter-terror troops.
The three officials sanctioned are Defence Minister Col Sadio Camara, head of the air force Col Alou Boi Diarra and air force deputy head Lt Col Adama Bagayoko.
In a US statement they are accused of being “instrumental in facilitating the Wagner Group’s entrenchment in Mali over the past two years”.
Col Camara and Col Diarra are accused of planning and organising Wagner’s deployment to Mali, while Col Bagayoko is also alleged to be working to secure Wagner’s deployment to neighbouring Burkina Faso and reportedly trying to help it get access to gold mines in Mali.
Since Wagner began working in Mali, in December 2021, civilian casualties have increased by more than 270%, the US says.
Source: bbc.com
