The EU blacklist against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group now includes 13 individuals and four groups.
The European Union on Monday announced the addition of three jihadist commanders linked to al-Qaeda in West Africa to its blacklist of those sanctioned for terrorist attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso.
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The sanctions – EU asset freezes and visa bans – target Sedane Ag Hita, known as Abou Abdel Hakim al-Kidali, and Salem ould Breihmatt, senior commanders of the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in Mali, affiliated with Al-Qaeda and appearing on the UN list, as well as its Burkinabe branch Ansarul Islam and its leader Jafar Dicko, the EU said in a press release.
“The sanctioned group and individuals are responsible for several terrorist attacks, including against civilians, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma) and the defense and security forces in Burkina Faso“, accuses the EU. “Their activities contribute to the expansion of the terrorist threat in West Africa and therefore constitute a serious and permanent threat to the EU and to regional and international stability.“, she believes.
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