🇺🇸🇲🇱 US sanctions three Malian officials over alleged ties to Wagner Group

The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Malian officials, including the minister of defense, over accusations they facilitated the deployment and expansion of the Russian Wagner Group's activities.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on Mali's Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara, who it said made several trips to Russia in 2021 to solidify an agreement between the Wagner Group and the Malian transition government to deploy the mercenary force.

Monday's sanctions also target Mali’s Chief of Staff of the Air Force Alou Boi Diarra and Malian Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Adama Bagayoko, the department said.

Both Russia and Mali have said Russian fighters in the African nation are not mercenaries but trainers helping local troops fight a decade-long insurgency by Islamist militants.

#USA #Mali #Wagner

@africaintel

🇲🇷🇲🇱 Mauritania mediates with Tuareg separatists in Mali

According to several sources, the Mauritanian government has begun mediating between the government of Mali and the Tuareg separatist CMA, which controls significant territory in the northern half of the country.

There is currently a dispute between the two sides over who will assume control of a MINUSMA base in the northern city of Ber, as the UN force withdraws from the country. The Malian government wants its own forces to step in, while the separatist CMA claims this would violate a ceasefire agreement which stipulated that the two sides remain in their positions at the time of signing.

The ceasefire in question was signed in 2014 in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott with mediation by the hosting government.

https://twitter.com/HousseyneAg/status/1689976670407553025?t=99r1XRDMlWIoIHnYur1UIQ&s=19

#Mali 🇲🇱: #ISIS - #Sahel militants executed a local individual who claimed to be working for #German Forces 🇩🇪.

Militants who carried out the execution appeared to be armed with AK-103 rifles (captured from Malian Forces) and a possible East German MPi-KM-72 rifle.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1695122170945421391

🇺🇳🇲🇱🇷🇺 UN sanctions in Mali to end after Russia blocks renewal

United Nations sanctions in Mali will end on Thursday after Russia vetoed a renewal of the regime that targeted anyone violating or obstructing a 2015 peace deal, hindering aid delivery, committing rights abuses or recruiting child soldiers.

Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a resolution, drafted by France and the United Arab Emirates, to extend the U.N. sanctions and independent monitoring for another year. Russia cast a veto, while China abstained from the vote.

Russia then instead proposed extending U.N. sanctions in Mali for one final year, but immediately ending the independent monitoring now. It was the only country to vote yes, while Japan voted no and the remaining 13 members abstained.

#UN #Mali #Russia

@africaintel

#Mali (#Sahel) / #Russia 🇲🇱🇷🇺: "Coordination des mouvements de l'#Azawad" (#CMA) carried out a rocket attack on #Wagner PMC/#FAMa positions.

The group seemingly used a 122mm 9P132 Grad-P ("Partizan") single-tube launcher with 9M22M HE-FRAG rockets.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1703807057797726501

#Mali (#Sahel) / #Russia 🇲🇱🇷🇺: Militias of the "Coordination des mouvements de l'#Azawad" (#CMA) have captured a #Russian Orlan-10 UAV belonging to #Wagner PMC in #Gao Region.

https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1704202392835670397