From UAE to Sudan: US targets Middle East entities for Wagner ties
The US has sanctioned entities operating in the UAE and Sudan for alleged connections to the notorious Russian mercenary group, which also has an extensive presence in the Middle East and North Africa.
The United States announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s Wagner Group on Tuesday, adding to a small list of entities operating in the Middle East and North Africa that have been sanctioned by the US for alleged ties to the group.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control unveiled a series of sanctions targeting entities in Russia, the Central African Republic and the UAE for allegedly being “connected to the violent Russian military group” as well as its owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The sanctions follow an aborted mutiny Wagner waged against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend.
The Dubai-based Industrial Resources General Trading, an industrial goods distributor, was among those sanctioned. The firm allegedly “provided financial support to Prigozhin through its business dealings,” according to the release.
The Treasury Department specifically mentioned Industrial Resources General Trading's connection to a gold and diamond company known as Diamville SAU. Diamville, which was also sanctioned, allegedly shipped diamonds from the Central African Republic to the United Arab Emirates and Europe, and is controlled by Prigozhin.
