The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday against leaders of militant groups in West Africa, accusing them of involvement in the kidnapping of Americans.
The targeted groups include the West African branch of al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), and Al-Mourabitoun.
The sanctions come as the US seeks to deter hostage-taking and secure the release of detained American citizens abroad.
This move follows years of regional instability in West Africa fueled by insurgencies that began in Mali in 2012 and have spread despite international military efforts.
“We will not hesitate to use all available tools to bring home Americans held hostage and deter future kidnappings,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Treasury Department, underlining the coercive methods of JNIM, stated they “rely on hostage-taking to gain leverage and inflict fear,” causing significant suffering for victims and their families.
Both the State Department and Treasury Department imposed sanctions.
The State Department targeted seven leaders of JNIM and Al-Mourabitoun linked to hostage-taking of US citizens.
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department sanctioned two JNIM leaders based in Mali and Burkina Faso, with one accused of overseeing the detention of an American.
These sanctions freeze any US-held assets belonging to the targeted individuals and prohibit Americans from conducting business with them.
