The military government in Mali has asked the United States to desist from disinformation about the country and its defence relations with Russia.
Spokesman of the government, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga said in a statement that the junta “was stunned to learn of the unilateral decision” by the US government to sanction the two Malian officers, “on the sole basis of the United Nations report.”
The call comes after sanctions the US imposed sanctions on two Malian officers, Moustapha Sangare, then commander of a parachute commando regiment, and Major Lassine Togola, commander of a special forces battalion, both accused of taking part in a massacre in the centre of the country in 2022.
He further revealed that the Malian Foreign Affairs on 25 May “invited” US Ambassador, Rachna Korhonen to inform her of “the extreme seriousness of the false accusations made against the Republic of Mali.”
The government “is upset by these actions, which are having a negative impact on bilateral cooperation”, he said. The government “appeals to the government of the United States of America to stop the disinformation campaign against Mali”, he declared.
There have been allegations of rights abuses in the Malian troop’s engagement with terrorist groups in Moura. A UN commission two weeks ago claimed that it “has reasonable grounds to believe” that at least 500 people, including some 20 women and seven children, were “executed by the Malian Armed Forces and foreign military personnel (…) after the area (had) been totally subdued” between March 27 and 31, 2022 in Moura.
The government of Mali has acknowledged the presence of Russian “instructors” in the fight against jihadists, a claim also attributed to Sergei Lavrov, head of Russian diplomacy.