The British government on Thursday (July 20) people and businesses involved with the Russian mercenary group Wagner in three African countries- Mali, Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan. As per an official statement, the sanctions target 13 individuals and businesses linked to the actions of Wagner including executions and torture in Mali and the CAR and threats to peace and security in Sudan.
“This includes three designations for the mercenary group’s top officials in Mali and CAR, including the ‘right-hand man’ of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who have deliberately targeted civilians in their operations,” the statement said.
“A further five businesses and individuals involved in threatening peace and stability in Sudan, including through disinformation campaigns and providing military equipment, have been targeted,” it added.
The government said the sanctions would limit the financial freedom of these individuals and businesses by preventing British citizens, companies and banks from dealing with them, alongside freezing any assets held in the United Kingdom (UK) and travel bans.
The statement said that Wagner’s head in Mali, Ivan Aleksandrovitch Maslov is a target of these sanctions. ” Wagner mercenaries, alongside Malian forces, massacred at least 500 people in Moura in March 2022, including summary executions as well as rape and torture,” the statement further said.
The head of Wagner in CAR Vitalii Viktorovitch Perfilev, and the Wagner Group’s head of operations in the country, Konstantin Aleksandrovitch Pikalov have also been sanctioned for deliberately targeting civilians.
Pikalov, who is regarded as Wagner chief Yevgen\y Prigozhin’s right-hand man, is responsible for the mercenary group’s torture and targeted killings of civilians.
In Sudan, the group has provided weapons and military equipment. The British government said that three businesses, which act as fronts for Wagner and operate in Sudan, were included in the new measures. These include M-Invest, and its subsidiary Meroe Gold.
