U.S Department of State Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson
In March 2022, elements of the Malian Armed Forces with the support of members of the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group – a transnational criminal organization – conducted a military operation in Moura, Mali, which killed more than 500 people according to the UN Human Rights Office.
Today, the Department of State is imposing visa restrictions on two Malian military commanders under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for their involvement in gross human rights violations: Col. Moustaph Sangare, then-Commander of the 33rd Parachute Commando Regiment, and Maj. Lassine Togola, Acting Commander of the Autonomous Special Forces Battalion (BAFS), was responsible for elements of the Malian Armed Forces that conducted the operation in Moura.
Concurrently, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov, who serves as the leader of the Wagner Group in Mali, for his involvement in the actions of the Wagner Group in Mali.
We will continue to promote justice and accountability for human rights violations and abuses in Mali. We remain committed to supporting the people of Mali and call for the protection of and respect for human rights and a return to civilian-led democratic governance. Mali’s ongoing partnership with the Wagner Group is worsening its security situation and prolonging human suffering. Wagner’s reported use of Mali as an intermediary to provide weapons to its fighters in Ukraine further shows the extent to which the group will pursue it broader financial and political aims.
