The Malian army has dismissed as unfounded allegations that its troops – along with Russian mercenaries – killed hundreds of civilians in the central Mopti region.
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said about 300 people were allegedly executed during an operation last month against militant Islamists in Moura village.
The allegation was nothing but an attempt to tarnish the image of the Malian army, the military said in a statement.
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In an earlier statement, it said 203 militants had been killed and 51 others arrested during the operation against militants in the region.
The West African nation’s junta denies that mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group are helping it fight the insurgents.
On Tuesday, Germany joined the US, France and the European Union to call for an independent investigation, involving the UN mission in the country, into what happened in Moura.