BAMAKO, Mali — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged military support to Mali during his first visit to the West African nation Tuesday and dismissed criticism of Moscow’s growing influence on the continent. Lavrov’s trip to Bamako, Mali’s capital, comes as Western countries express their concerns about alleged human rights abuses committed by Russian mercenaries working for the private military …
UNITED NATIONS — Mali’s foreign minister defended the military government’s cooperation with Russia on Friday and rejected three options proposed by the U.N. chief to reconfigure the U.N. peacekeeping force in the west African country where Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity. But Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ internal review released this week of the 17,500-strong U.N. mission, known …
