In Mali, the government is the result of a military coup that took place in 2020. When the coup d'état occurred, we expressed our concerns publicly. When we received the initial confirmation that the Wagner Group was in Mali, we published a statement with 15 allied countries expressing our very serious concerns with respect to that presence.
There are files documenting human rights abuses, if not crimes. The United Nations issued a report about a month ago detailing the massacre of 500 Malian citizens in Moura, carried out in conjunction with the Malian army. I would also highlight the use of sexual violence, resulting in 58 documented cases of rape. In a joint statement with the United States and the United Kingdom, we expressed our concerns and asked the Malian government to confirm those facts and contribute to an investigation.