Russians accused of staging French burial of bodies in Mali

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The French military has released videos appearing to show Russian mercenaries burying bodies near an army base in northern Mali which it says is part of a smear campaign against the French who handed control of the base to Malian forces earlier this week. Aerial surveillance taken by the French military early Thursday and provided to The Associated Press show what appear to be 10 Caucasian soldiers covering approximately a dozen Malian bodies with sand near the Gossi military base, according to a French military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The officer says the Caucasian soldiers are likely members of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary force.