Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions on Central Africa Rebel Leader Ali Darassa

The President Joe Biden administration on Friday slapped sanctions on a rebel leader in the Central African Republic.

The Treasury Department said it was taking hold of any US assets and criminalising transactions with Ali Darassa, leader of the rebel group, Union for Peace (UPC).

The Treasury Department said that rebels have since 2014 killed, tortured, raped and displaced thousands of people.

The UPC left the main alliance of rebels in April and declined to join other groups in a ceasefire declared by President Faustin-Archange Touadera in October.

“The UPC uses killings, kidnapping and other violence to achieve its goals,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“We urge UPC and all parties to the conflict to heed President Touadera’s October 15 ceasefire declaration, immediately halt combat operations and begin the dialogue for peaceful political solutions,” Blinken said in a statement.

The government has under its control parts of the country with the help of Rwandan troops and Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group.

The Wagner group has in the past been accused of widespread criminality by the UN prompting the US to impose sanctions on the group.

UN experts recently warned Mali against accepting an offer to hire the Russians.

The United States earlier imposed sanctions in a bid to hunt down Lord’s Resistance Army founder Joseph Kony in connection with abuses around central Africa.