On Tuesday, the United States announced new sanctions against the activities of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, particularly in the Central African Republic, a few days after an aborted mutiny by its leader Evguéni Prigojine.
The United States was expected to announce these measures at the very beginning of the week but decided to postpone them for a while so as not to appear to be taking sides in the crisis that unfolded over the weekend in Russia.
The US sanctions target the mining company Midas Resources, which owns several mines in the Central African Republic, and Diamville, which specializes in gold transactions, both controlled by Mr. Prigojine, according to the US Treasury Department.
The sanctions also target another Dubai-based company, Industrial Resources General Trading, which is accused of managing transactions on behalf of Diamville.
Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson, quoted in the statement, said: “The Wagner Group finances its brutal operations in part through the exploitation of natural resources in countries such as the Central African Republic and Mali.
“The United States will continue to target the Wagner group’s sources of revenue to prevent it from expanding into Africa, Ukraine, or elsewhere,” he added.
Shortly before, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had announced the eminence of these sanctions and again denounced the activities of the Wagner group in Africa.