US Imposes Sanctions on Wagner Group-Linked Entities in Mali and Central African Republic, Urges Enhanced Due Diligence in Gold Trade
The United States has sanctioned entities associated with the Wagner Group in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR) while advising countries in sub-Saharan Africa to implement strengthened due diligence practices in gold trade and mining. These measures aim to restrict and disrupt the Russian paramilitary organization’s ability to raise funds for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov recently announced that despite a brief mutiny within the Wagner Group against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, the group’s operations in Africa, particularly in Mali and the CAR, would continue uninterrupted. The mutiny occurred amid rising tensions between the Russian Ministry of Defense and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “The US is imposing sanctions on several entities in the CAR today for their connection to the transnational criminal organization known as the Wagner Group and for their involvement in activities that undermine democratic processes and institutions in the CAR through illicit trade in the country’s natural resources.” As part of these sanctions, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, a prominent figure within the Wagner Group in the country, will also be targeted.
Blinken further highlighted that the Wagner Group has utilized its operations in Mali to generate revenue for the group and its owner, Prigozhin, while also procuring weapons and equipment to support its engagement in hostilities in Ukraine. In late May, the US had already imposed sanctions on Wagner Group leader Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov, Colonel Moustaph Sangare, the former commander of the 33rd Parachute Commando Regiment, and Major Lassine Togola, the acting commander of the Autonomous Special Forces Battalion, for similar activities in Mali.
According to the US, the extensive mining operations conducted by the Wagner Group are crucial for its sustainability beyond Russia’s foreign policy objectives in Africa. US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson emphasized, “The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the CAR and Mali. The US will continue to target the Wagner Group’s revenue streams to degrade its expansion and violence in Africa, Ukraine, and elsewhere.”
Simultaneously, the US Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor, and the Agency for International Development issued a “unique business risk advisory focused on the gold sector across sub-Saharan Africa.” The advisory highlights the opportunities and specific risks associated with the gold trade in the region, urging industry participants to adopt enhanced due diligence practices. The goal is to prevent malign actors like the Wagner Group from exploiting and benefiting from the sector, which plays a vital role in the livelihoods of millions of people across the continent, as stated in the Department of State’s official statement.
