Russia has blocked a request at the UN Security Council for "independent investigations" into the alleged massacre of several hundred civilians in Mali by the Malian army and Russian paramilitaries, diplomatic sources told AFP Saturday.

Mali's army announced on April 1 that it had killed 203 "militants" in Moura, in central Mali, during an operation in late March.

However, that announcement followed widely shared social media reports of a civilian massacre in the area. Human Rights Watch has alleged that Malian soldiers and foreign fighters executed 300 civilians there between March 27 and 31.

The request for a UN investigation had been included in a statement drafted by France and submitted for approval Friday by the Security Council.

But Russia, supported by China, "didn't see the need" for the text and considered it "premature," given that an investigation has been opened by the Malian authorities, one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

On Friday, Russia congratulated Mali on an "important victory" against "terrorism," and it described as "disinformation" allegations about the massacre, as well as claims about the involvement of Russian mercenaries.

Bamako denies the presence of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner in Mali, acknowledging only the presence of Russian "instructors" and "trainers" under a bilateral cooperation agreement with Moscow dating from the 1960s.

For more than a week, the UN has been demanding access to the area to investigate under its Security Council mandate, to no avail.

In Mali, German minister speaks of 'atrocities' after Moura operation
Berlin (AFP) April 9, 2022 - German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Saturday reiterated her doubts about maintaining the German armed forces' commitment in Mali during a trip to the country during which she spoke of "atrocities" committed in Moura.

Mali's military-dominated government says it "neutralised" 203 jihadists in Moura, but witnesses interviewed by media and Human Rights Watch (HRW) say soldiers actually killed scores of civilians.

The question, Lambrecht said, was "if it is this regime that we want to support", speaking after a meeting with German soldiers in northern Gao, her ministry said.

"We see that Malian soldiers are being trained in a tremendous way by highly motivated and skilled German soldiers, and then they go on missions with these capabilities, for example with Russian forces, even with mercenaries," the minister added.

"And the question then arises of whether this can be compatible with our values, especially if we then have to witness atrocities like in Moura," she said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday cast doubt on Mali's account of events in Moura.

"The authorities in Bamako announce 200 terrorists killed, without civilian casualties. I have a hard time believing, I have a hard time understanding, I have a hard time accepting these explanations," he said.

"There needs to be a United Nations investigation and we demand this," he added.

In February, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of thousands of troops deployed in Mali under France's anti-jihadist mission in the Sahel.

Bamako denies the presence of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner in Mali, acknowledging only the presence of Russian "instructors" and "trainers" under a bilateral cooperation agreement with Moscow dating from the 1960s.

In a report, Human Rights Watch said Malian soldiers and foreign fighters had executed 300 civilians between March 27 and 31 in Moura.

Malian forces were operating in tandem with white foreign soldiers, according to HRW, who are believed to be Russian because witness accounts refer to them as non-French-speaking.

Russia has supplied what are officially described as military instructors to Mali.

However, the United States, France, and others, say the instructors are operatives from the Russian private-security firm Wagner.

The UN special envoy for Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, on Thursday called on the Malian authorities to provide access to the area.

Ruled by a military junta since August 2020, Mali has been in turmoil since 2012.

Jihadist attacks have spread from the north to the centre of the country and into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

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