UK sanctions Russia-backed Wagner Group successor Africa Corps

The UK government announced new sanctions on Thursday, November 7, targeting three private mercenary groups linked to the Kremlin, including Africa Corps, a successor to the notorious Wagner group. The sanctions are aimed at disrupting Russian influence and illicit activities across Africa, specifically in Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic (CAR), according to an official government statement.

“These sanctions will bear down on Russian malign activity… exposing and combatting Russia’s illicit activity in Africa,” the statement read. Notably, these measures mark the first direct sanctions against Africa Corps by a G7 nation.

As part of its renewed focus on Africa, Russia has increasingly deployed mercenaries and advisors to support governments on the continent, bolstering its influence, a strategy reminiscent of Soviet-era geopolitics. British officials believe that Africa Corps, alongside other mercenary groups like Espanola and Bears Brigade, are advancing Moscow’s agenda in Africa, often through force and intimidation.

The sanctions announcement comes ahead of a summit in Sochi, where Russia is set to host African foreign ministers. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that the sanctions aim to counter the Kremlin’s destabilizing activities across Africa and curtail resources aiding Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.

This sanctions package is the UK’s largest against Russia since May 2023 and also targets suppliers believed to be bolstering Russia’s military capabilities, as well as a Russian intelligence operative implicated in the 2018 chemical attack in Salisbury. The UK remains one of Ukraine’s strongest allies in the conflict, pledging £3 billion in annual military support.

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“Putin is nearly 1,000 days into a war he thought would only take a few,” said Lammy. “He will fail, and I will continue to bear down on the Kremlin and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”