The Wagner Group has been accused by western governments and United Nations experts of human rights abuses in the Central African Republic and involvement in the conflict in Libya. France and Germany have both objected to the presence of its mercenaries in Mali. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the company has a “legitimate” right to be in the West African nation because it was invited by the transitional government, and he has insisted that the Russian government is not involved. French troops have been present in Mali since 2013, when they intervened to force the Islamic extremists from power in the country’s north. Hundreds have died this year alone of massacres targeting villages on the border of Niger and Mali.

Source: Libya Today December 23, 2021 20:15 UTC