The US has imposed sanctions on three top officials of Mali's junta for their alleged involvement with the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries.
Wagner fighters have been accused of committing atrocities alongside the Malian army fighting jihadists.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said civilian casualties had more than tripled since Wagner forces were deployed to Mali in late 2021.
Mali's government has never officially acknowledged Wagner's presence.
But the shadowy mercenary group is believed to have about 1,000 soldiers in Mali, one of several African states in which it operates.
Their deployment had followed a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Mali's military regime and France, prompting the former colonial power to withdraw its counter-terror troops.
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