America canceled the sanctions against 3 senior “financial” officials – Mehr news agency RCO News Agency

According to Mehr news agency, citing Al-Mayadeen network, following the improvement of bilateral relations between the US and Mali, the US Treasury announced in an announcement the lifting of sanctions against three senior financial officials.

According to the report, the list of financial officials whose names were removed from the sanctions list on Friday included Defense Minister Alu Boy Diarra and Adama Bagayoko, Sadio Camara, who were sanctioned for their links to the Wagner group.

Nick Checker, the top US envoy to Africa, traveled to Mali last month to discuss next steps to strengthen ties, according to the US State Department.

Last year, Washington resumed intelligence sharing with Mali to support counterterrorism efforts.

Cameron Hudson, a former US official who worked on African affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department, told Reuters the move appeared to be “part of a broader effort to re-engage with the Sahel”.

He added: “The United States has significantly increased its engagement with financial authorities in recent months to resume cooperation in the fight against terrorism and to emphasize the message that the United States will no longer be limited in its foreign policy by withdrawing from countries governed by military councils.”

It should be noted that during the administration of former US President Joe Biden, the US lost its main regional intelligence base in Niger and was banned from conducting intelligence gathering flights, which severely hampered its ability to monitor and counter armed groups.