Berliner Boersenzeitung - UK sanctions Russia-backed Wagner group successor Africa Corps

EUR -
AED 3.853118
AFN 71.487088
ALL 98.351691
AMD 409.273718
ANG 1.891004
AOA 955.659295
ARS 1055.8819
AUD 1.612967
AWG 1.8909
AZN 1.791713
BAM 1.958186
BBD 2.118481
BDT 125.382746
BGN 1.954864
BHD 0.395437
BIF 3099.635186
BMD 1.049043
BND 1.413949
BOB 7.277143
BRL 6.075321
BSD 1.049278
BTN 88.459852
BWP 14.334009
BYN 3.433683
BYR 20561.242475
BZD 2.115017
CAD 1.466756
CDF 3011.802607
CHF 0.930365
CLF 0.037034
CLP 1021.883333
CNY 7.602447
CNH 7.600206
COP 4602.760013
CRC 534.751454
CUC 1.049043
CUP 27.799639
CVE 110.399493
CZK 25.312332
DJF 186.844746
DKK 7.458245
DOP 63.237038
DZD 140.21928
EGP 52.041967
ERN 15.735645
ETB 130.835383
FJD 2.383215
FKP 0.828027
GBP 0.834471
GEL 2.874889
GGP 0.828027
GHS 16.525762
GIP 0.828027
GMD 74.48204
GNF 9042.015322
GTQ 8.10187
GYD 219.525805
HKD 8.16221
HNL 26.514301
HRK 7.483095
HTG 137.717773
HUF 409.871701
IDR 16631.527459
ILS 3.830549
IMP 0.828027
INR 88.403953
IQD 1374.474436
IRR 44138.483745
ISK 144.998255
JEP 0.828027
JMD 166.522864
JOD 0.744093
JPY 161.466076
KES 135.850881
KGS 91.045812
KHR 4211.290929
KMF 495.663583
KPW 944.138287
KRW 1468.476567
KWD 0.32278
KYD 0.874399
KZT 523.928269
LAK 23043.511793
LBP 93961.950734
LKR 305.321955
LRD 188.863681
LSL 18.970511
LTL 3.097551
LVL 0.634556
LYD 5.135256
MAD 10.541642
MDL 19.181099
MGA 4903.066576
MKD 61.374869
MMK 3407.250689
MNT 3564.648001
MOP 8.408664
MRU 41.727834
MUR 49.0118
MVR 16.217958
MWK 1819.451211
MXN 21.316857
MYR 4.670377
MZN 67.044183
NAD 18.970511
NGN 1770.238816
NIO 38.607033
NOK 11.638329
NPR 141.536123
NZD 1.79454
OMR 0.403883
PAB 1.049298
PEN 3.973941
PGK 4.22715
PHP 61.811735
PKR 291.423123
PLN 4.321649
PYG 8174.959041
QAR 3.827663
RON 4.973193
RSD 116.911696
RUB 109.267171
RWF 1432.686323
SAR 3.939045
SBD 8.79471
SCR 15.772293
SDG 630.946122
SEK 11.515901
SGD 1.411939
SHP 0.828027
SLE 23.844842
SLL 21997.91181
SOS 599.641938
SRD 37.234757
STD 21713.071748
SVC 9.181185
SYP 2635.751818
SZL 18.965104
THB 36.344126
TJS 11.185153
TMT 3.67165
TND 3.328154
TOP 2.456962
TRY 36.289233
TTD 7.126818
TWD 34.022525
TZS 2779.964489
UAH 43.543546
UGX 3887.736186
USD 1.049043
UYU 44.724485
UZS 13460.397961
VES 48.842442
VND 26666.672639
VUV 124.544491
WST 2.928499
XAF 656.769623
XAG 0.03462
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.835091
XDR 0.802578
XOF 656.757086
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.182031
ZAR 18.932178
ZMK 9442.575435
ZMW 28.933351
ZWL 337.791413
  • CMSC

    0.1178

    24.79

    +0.48%

  • BCC

    9.1800

    152.96

    +6%

  • SCS

    0.5750

    13.845

    +4.15%

  • GSK

    0.2250

    34.185

    +0.66%

  • CMSD

    0.1150

    24.575

    +0.47%

  • BCE

    0.0400

    26.81

    +0.15%

  • BTI

    -0.0030

    37.377

    -0.01%

  • RIO

    0.6850

    63.035

    +1.09%

  • AZN

    0.4400

    66.07

    +0.67%

  • JRI

    0.1300

    13.34

    +0.97%

  • RBGPF

    -0.9500

    59.24

    -1.6%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    6.75

    -0.74%

  • BP

    -0.4390

    29.281

    -1.5%

  • RELX

    -0.2200

    46.53

    -0.47%

  • VOD

    0.1550

    8.885

    +1.74%

  • NGG

    -0.0900

    63.02

    -0.14%

UK sanctions Russia-backed Wagner group successor Africa Corps
UK sanctions Russia-backed Wagner group successor Africa Corps / Photo: HANDOUT - TELEGRAM / @ razgruzka_vagnera/AFP

UK sanctions Russia-backed Wagner group successor Africa Corps

The UK government announced sanctions on Thursday against three private mercenary groups operating in Africa with links to the Kremlin, including Wagner group successor Africa Corps.

Text size:

"These sanctions will bear down on Russian malign activity in Libya, Mali, and CAR (Central African Republic), exposing and combatting Russia's illicit activity in Africa," a government statement said, announcing its latest package of measures against Russia.

The UK government said the measures were the first direct sanctions against Africa Corps by a G7 country.

Moscow was a key player in Africa during Soviet times and has been boosting its influence on the continent again in recent years.

Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group or its successor, Africa Corps, now support several African governments and Russian "advisers" work with local officials.

The British sanctions come before Russia holds a large gathering of African foreign ministers in Sochi, southern Russia, this weekend.

As well as Africa Corps, private military group Espanola and the Bears Brigade organisation are also being sanctioned.

London accused the three groups of "widespread human rights abuses" across the African continent, adding that they had "threatened peace and security in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic".

- Punitive measures -

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctions would continue the UK's "pushback on the Kremlin's corrosive foreign policy, undermining Russia's attempts to foster instability across Africa and disrupting the supply of vital equipment for Putin's war machine" in Ukraine.

The punitive measures are part of the UK's biggest package of sanctions against Russia since May 2023.

Others targeted include suppliers of machine tools, components for drones, ball bearings and other goods that support Russia's military.

Also being sanctioned is GRU Russian intelligence agency agent Denis Sergeev.

London believes Sergeev was involved in a chemical weapon attack on the UK city of Salisbury in 2018 against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Both survived but a local woman who came into contact with the weapons-grade nerve agent Novichok died.

UK counter-terrorism chiefs in 2021 said there was enough evidence to charge Sergeev with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm, and possession and use of a chemical weapon.

The UK has been one of Ukraine's biggest backers in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour, committing to delivering £3.0 billion ($3.9 billion) of military aid every year for as long as needed.

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

Other sanctions packages last month took aim at Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers, used to sidestep a Western embargo on oil exports after its invasion of Ukraine.

In October, Britain also sanctioned the chemical and biological arm of Russia's armed forces and its commander, Igor Kirillov, over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Russia was hit with a first wave of sanctions following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The West tightened the screws after Moscow launched a fully-fledged invaded its neighbour in February 2022.

But Russia's economy has withstood the shock, growing 5.4 percent in the first quarter of this year as its trade relations with Asia and the Middle East soared.

(T.Burkhard--BBZ)