US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned Mali's military rulers not to accept Russia's Wagner mercenaries, saying a deal would divert needed funds and further destabilize the country.
Two days after the European Union joined the United States in imposing sanctions on the Wagner Group, Blinken voiced disappointment that Mali has rejected an offer of additional UN peacekeepers and is instead looking to the private paramilitary unit.
Atiewin Mbillah-Lawson reports
