The European Union sanctions senior officials of the Russian group Wagner, accused of “violations of human rights” in Africa

The European Union announced, on Saturday 25 February, new sanctions against the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, accused of “human rights violations” in Africa. Eleven people (nine in Africa and two in Ukraine), as well as seven entities linked to the group have been added to the list of the European bloc imposing asset freezes and travel bans. The Wagner Group itself, which actively fights with the Russian army in Ukraine, had already been sanctioned in 2021 by the EU.

These new sanctions were decided “in view of the international dimension and the seriousness of the group’s activities, as well as its destabilizing impact on the countries where it is active”said the European Council. “The activities of the Wagner group are a threat to the populations of the countries where they operate and to the European Union”added the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

The European Council clarified that eight members of Wagner and the seven entities targeted by these new sanctions were linked to the group’s activities in the Central African Republic and Sudan. The ninth official was hit by an EU sanctions regime that applies specifically to Mali. This is the leader of the Wagner forces in this country, where fighters from the group “have been implicated in acts of violence and multiple human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions”.