Military Africa reports that recent disclosures from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) have unveiled a troubling development in the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The OFAC has revealed that the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, has been supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with surface-to-air missiles to combat the Sudanese army. The exact type of missile system provided by the Wagner Group was not specified in the report, but it is likely to be a man-portable (MANPAD) or short-range air defense system.
In response to these revelations, the U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Ivan Alexandrovich Maslov, the leader of the Wagner Group in Mali, for collaborating with the group to undermine the stability of various African countries. The Treasury Department stated that the Wagner Group’s provision of surface-to-air missiles to the RSF contributes to a prolonged armed conflict in Sudan, resulting in further chaos in the region.
Brian E. Nelson, the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, expressed concerns about the Wagner Group’s presence in Africa, referring to it as a destabilizing force for any country that allows the group’s resources to enter its territory.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced his concerns about Wagner’s involvement in Sudan without presenting concrete evidence to support his statement.