"US sanctions Wagner Group for destabilising Africa after mutiny fallout in Moscow"

On Tuesday, the United States implemented sanctions with the aim of disrupting gold mining activities that provide financial support to the Wagner Group in Africa. The move was made in response to the recent mutiny staged by the mercenaries in Russia and signifies a commitment to holding them accountable for their abuses…

Brian Nelson, a Treasury sanctions official, stated that the Wagner Group funds its brutal operations, partially through the exploitation of natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. He emphasized that the United States would continue to target the group’s revenue streams to counter its expansion and violence not only in Africa but also in Ukraine and other locations. The Wagner Group has been contracted by military regimes in Africa and has played a progressively violent role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prigozhin has urged Putin to employ even greater force.

In March, Tuaregs either side of the Mali-Niger border allegedly confirmed to Nigerien generals that Wagner Group were committing human rights abuses in their communities. The African men also confirmed that Wagner mercenaries did not appear to be equipped by Moscow but by African armies and were largely protecting their mining assets and not the governments that loaned them the equipment’s interests.