The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued sanctions against three Malian government and military officials for facilitating the deployment and expansion of the Wagner Group Private Military Company and its activities in Mali. The Treasury Department said it took the step based on evidence that these Malian officials had aided Wagner Group's malicious activities in Mali, according to a July 21 news release.

“Today’s action exposes the principal Malian officials who have been instrumental in facilitating the Wagner Group’s entrenchment in Mali over the past two years," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the release. "These officials have made their people vulnerable to the Wagner Group’s destabilizing activities and human rights abuses while paving the way for the exploitation of their country’s sovereign resources to the benefit of the Wagner Group’s operations in Ukraine.”

The sanctions target three individuals who played a significant role in enabling the Wagner Group's presence in Mali, making the country susceptible to destabilization and human rights abuses while exploiting its resources to benefit of the Wagner Group's operations in Ukraine, the release reported.

The sanctions were levied against Col. Sadio Camara, Col. Alou Boi Diarra and Lt. Col. Adama Bagayoko, which OFAC designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for "having materially assisted, sponsored or provided financial material or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Wagner Group," according to the release.

The Wagner Group has committed various atrocities across multiple African countries, has been sanctioned globally and has been involved in combat operations worldwide, including supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, the release said. Since the Wagner Group's arrival in Mali, civilian casualties have increased dramatically, partly due to joint operations conducted by the Malian Armed Forces and Wagner forces.

The Wagner Group also has been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, the release reported.