US lifts sanctions on Malian officials linked to Russian Wagner Group
The United States has lifted sanctions on three senior Malian officials who were previously designated for their ties to Russia's Wagner Group, the Treasury Department announced Feb. 27.
An update on the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control website shows those removed from the sanctions list include Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara and senior military officials Alou Boi Diarra and Adama Bagayoko. The three had been sanctioned for their connections to the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary organization that Moscow has since folded into its Africa Corps.
A former U.S. official who spoke with Reuters said the move appears linked to broader U.S. efforts to improve relations with countries in the Sahel, where extremist violence and instability have surged in recent years.
Wagner, which deployed forces in Ukraine and staged a short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in 2023, built a significant footprint across Africa. The group has supported Moscow-friendly governments while advancing Russian business and security interests on the continent.
In Mali, Wagner fighters had operated alongside government forces since late 2021, helping battle Islamist insurgents. The group has also faced repeated accusations of human rights abuses.
In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing dozens of civilians. A separate media investigation reported that since 2021, Wagner personnel have detained, tortured, and forcibly disappeared hundreds of civilians in secret prisons across Mali.
Wagner announced in 2025 that it would withdraw from Mali, though the Africa Corps is reportedly maintaining a presence in the country.
