Wagner has denied it has a presence there. Western officials have said hundreds of contractors from Russian private military group Wagner are operating in Mali. Russia's presence in the desert nation has exacerbated tensions. The Malian junta has staged two coups since August 2020 and reneged on plans to hold elections in February, prompting sanctions from West Africa's regional bloc and the European Union. Relations between Mali and former colonial master France have soured in recent months since the junta fell back on election promises. Radio broadcaster RFI also ran a series of testimonies from people who said they had been tortured by Malian soldiers and suspected Russian mercenaries operating alongside them. PARIS/DAKAR March 17 (Reuters) - Mali will suspend broadcasts by French state-funded international news outlets RFI and France 24 in an unprecedented clampdown on foreign media over what the ruling military junta said were false allegations of army abuses.Ĭomments by the head of the United Nations rights commission Michelle Bachelet and rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) accusing the military of violations which were reported by RFI and France 24 in recent days, the junta said in a statement on Thursday.Įarlier this week, Human Rights Watch said Malian soldiers were responsible for killing at least 71 civilians since December.

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