BAMAKO/WASHINGTON — The United States has lifted sanctions on three senior Malian officials previously penalized over their alleged links to Russia’s Wagner mercenary network, in a move that signals a broader shift in Washington’s approach to military-led governments in the Sahel. The U.S. Treasury removed Defense Minister Sadio Camara and senior officers Alou Boi Diarra and Adama Bagayoko from its sanctions list on February 27, according to an official Treasury notice. The three men were originally sanctioned in July 2023 after Washington accused them of helping facilitate Wagner’s deployment and expansion in Mali. At the time, the U.S. said the officials had enabled the Russian group’s activities as Mali deepened security ties with Moscow following the departure of French and U.N. forces.
Treasury did not publicly explain the delisting in its notice. But Reuters reported that the decision comes as the Trump administration tries to improve relations with Mali and other juntas in the Sahel, prioritizing counterterrorism cooperation and intelligence ties as jihadist violence worsens across the region. Reuters said the policy change reflects Washington’s effort to re-engage after losing ground in neighboring Niger, where U.S. intelligence operations were halted. The timing also reflects changes on the Russian side. Wagner, once central to Moscow’s security presence in Mali, has largely been replaced by Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled force operating under the Russian defense establishment. Reuters reported in June 2025 that although Wagner announced its departure from Mali, Africa Corps said it would remain in the country.
Mali remains one of the epicenters of the Sahel insurgency, where military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have struggled to contain attacks by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. Reuters said Washington’s recalibration appears aimed less at endorsing Mali’s rulers than at rebuilding practical security cooperation in a region where U.S. influence has waned and Russian-backed actors have expanded. There was no immediate public explanation from Bamako on the sanctions relief, but the delisting is likely to be read as a diplomatic opening after nearly three years of strained ties between the United States and Mali’s military leadership.
