Washington on Thursday announced a series of economic sanctions against Ivan Maslov, the head of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group in Mali, whom it accuses of trying to obtain military equipment there for use in the Ukraine conflict, AFP reported.

These sanctions “against the most important member of the Wagner group in Mali are aimed at halting operations necessary to support the group’s activities around the world,” explained Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

These sanctions provide for the confiscation of all financial and real assets of Ivan Maslov in the United States, as well as companies that have a direct capital connection with Maslov, and prohibit American companies or companies located on the territory of the United States from conducting even the smallest transactions with Maslov. or with companies it controls.

“The presence of the Wagner group on the African continent is a destabilizing force for any country that authorizes its deployment on its territory,” Nelson added.

This is not the first time that the Wagner group or some of its members have been sanctioned for their actions in Mali.

In late February, the European Union announced a series of sanctions targeting about ten people, including Maslov, for “human rights violations” attributed to a paramilitary company there.

The Wagner paramilitary group, founded in 2014, is considered an international terrorist organization by the United States. The United States, which has been trying to counter Russian influence in Africa for years, accuses Wagner’s group of “violating human rights and extorting natural resources in Africa.”

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