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2022-04-23 Africa North
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Mali: France says Russians buried bodies in smear effort
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[DW] The French military says it has filmed Russian mercenaries burying bodies near an army base in northern Mali. La Belle France says it suspects the operation was part of a disinformation campaign against its troops.
La Belle France's military has released footage that appears to show soldiers burying bodies in northern Mali, which it says is part of a smear campaign by Russia's mercenary Wagner Group.
The French say the move to discredit their forces is part of a coordinated campaign of multiple information attacks over recent months.
WHAT IS LA BELLE FRANCE SAYING?
The French army says it filmed the video near the Gossi base in northern Mali, which it has now handed over to Malian troops.
It says the aim appears to be to falsely accuse La Belle France's departing forces of leaving behind mass graves. The video, filmed by a "sensor" drone and seen by both the AFP and News Agency that Dare Not be Named news agencies, shows what appear to be Caucasian soldiers covering bodies with sand. It was filmed some 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the base immediately after the handover.
Several tweets posted on accounts that support Russia, or fake accounts allegedly created by Wagner, blame the French for the killings.
La Belle France says the drone images allow them to "draw a direct line" between Wagner's activities and the actions attributed to its soldiers.
"This maneuver to discredit the Barkhane force seems coordinated. It is representative of multiple information attacks French soldiers have faced for several months," it said.
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN MALI?
Relations between Gay Paree and Bamako have deteriorated sharply since a military junta seized power in 2020.
Deepening ties between the Malian regime and Moscow have hastened the end of Barkhane, La Belle France's decade-long military operation in the West African country.
La Belle France and the United States say Wagner mercenaries have deployed in Mali. However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things...
the military-dominated government in Mali denies the accusations and says the Russians in the country are military instructors.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the pullout in February. The French army said it had transferred control of the Gossi base to Malian soldiers on Tuesday, in a safe, orderly and transparent manner.
There has been growing anti-French sentiment in West Africa, where French forces have operated since 2013 to counter jihadi insurgencies. Social media campaigns have targeted French troops.
On Wednesday, the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
said it was "extremely concerned" that Mali had stopped Sherlocks from visiting the scene of an alleged atrocity in late March. It is believed that at least 300 men were summarily executed during a March 27-31 raid on Moura. The group Human Rights Watch this month accused unnamed Russian mercenaries of involvement in the killings.
Germany has warned that its forces will not cooperate with Mali's military while it maintains links to Russia. The EU has decided to halt its military training mission there citing insufficient guarantees from Mali over Wagner.
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Posted by trailing wife 2022-04-23 00:00||
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Posted by Rob Crawford 2022-04-23 15:34||
2022-04-23 15:34||
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