US sanctions Malian officials over Wagner Group presence
A look back at the sanctions announced against three senior Malian figures, and at an EU measure taken days earlier.
What did Washington do about the Wagner Group's presence in Mali? On 24 July 2023, the United States announced sanctions on three senior Malian officials, among them Defence Minister Sadio Camara. The stated reason was that they had allegedly helped to facilitate the presence of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group in the country.
The move placed Mali–United States relations in the spotlight on that day, with a sitting defence minister among those targeted.
A few days earlier, on 20 July 2023, the European Union had also imposed sanctions linked to Russia. That measure targeted the director of the Russian prison where opposition leader Alexei Navalny was incarcerated.
Taken together, the two announcements showed Western governments using sanctions against individuals in the same week, one aimed at officials tied to Wagner's presence in Mali and the other at a prison official in Russia.
