Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Rapport sur les évènements de Moura du 27 au 31 mars 2022, published by the UN Office for Human Rights on 12 May 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report on (a) discussions with Cabinet colleagues about UK proscription of the Wagner Group, (b) investigations in pursuit of sanctions against entities associated with the global Wagner Group and (c) other findings related to his Department.

The UK issued a joint statement with the US and Canada following the release of the UN's report on the massacre of over 500 people in Moura, central Mali, carried out by Malian forces and Wagner Group. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said, summary execution, rape and torture during armed conflict amount to war crimes and could, depending on the circumstances, amount to crimes against humanity. I [the Minister for Africa, Andrew Mitchell] have since also set out the need for human rights compliance to achieve long-term stability. The UK Government continues to emphasise our support for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) at the UN Security Council, urging the Malian authorities to strengthen their cooperation with the UN and to respect MINUSMA's freedom of movement.

The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to his counterparts on a range of issues. Proscription is a matter for the Home Office. Whilst we keep the list of proscribed organisations under review, it is Government policy not to comment on whether a group is under consideration for proscription. The UK Government has already sanctioned both the Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Government does not normally comment on future sanctions designations as to do so would reduce their impact.