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US Accuses Russia's Wagner of Providing Sudan's RSF with Missiles

The commander of RSF, Mohamed Hamdan' Hemedti' Dagalo (AP)
The commander of RSF, Mohamed Hamdan' Hemedti' Dagalo (AP)
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US Accuses Russia's Wagner of Providing Sudan's RSF with Missiles

The commander of RSF, Mohamed Hamdan' Hemedti' Dagalo (AP)
The commander of RSF, Mohamed Hamdan' Hemedti' Dagalo (AP)

The United States accused Russia's Wagner Group in Mali of working to obtain military gear from Mali for Russia's war in Ukraine and sending surface-to-air missiles to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.

The US Treasury said in a statement Thursday that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had sanctioned the head of Wagner in Mali, Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov, after it found that the Group employees may have been attempting to work through Mali to acquire warfighting equipment such as mines, drones, radar, and counterbattery systems for use in Ukraine.

The Treasury added that Maslov Maslov arranges meetings between Viktorovich Prigozhin and government officials from several African nations. Maslov has worked to carry out the Wagner Group's interests in the extractive sector.

The measure freezes any assets of Maslov in the US and generally bars its citizens from doing business with him.

Wagner's accusation

The Treasury accused Wagner of supplying the RSF with surface-to-air missiles to fight against Sudan's army, contributing to a prolonged armed conflict that resulted in further regional chaos.

The commander of RSF, Mohamed Hamdan' Hemedti' Dagalo, has well-established relations with Russia.

Western diplomats in Khartoum said in 2022 that Wagner was involved in illegal gold mining in Sudan and was spreading misleading information.

Hemedti said he had advised Sudan to sever relations with Wagner after the US imposed sanctions on it. The group announced on April 19 that it was no longer operating in Sudan.

Clashes broke out last month in Sudan between the Sudanese armed forces led by Abdulfattah Burhan and the RSF, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country and forcing more than 1.3 million people to flee their areas.

The Mali government has not yet responded to Washington's accusations.

Washington has repeatedly warned of "Wagner's destabilizing activities" and tightened sanctions on the private military group following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Wagner's mercenaries fought alongside the regular Russian forces in Ukraine, especially in some of the fiercest battles, including those in Bakhmut.

On Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller warned that Wagner sought to move military equipment through Mali for use in Ukraine.

Later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied the accusations, describing them as a "hoax."

The US Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said that the Treasury's sanctions against Mali's most senior Wagner Group representative identify and disrupt a key operative supporting the group's global activities.

"The Wagner Group's presence on the African continent is a destabilizing force for any country that allows for the deployment of the group's resources into their sovereign territory."

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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.