Malian authorities have accused the French army of “spying” and “subversion” when it used a drone to film what France alleged were mercenaries burying bodies near a military base. The drone flew “illegally” over the Gossi base on April 20, the day after French forces handed the site back to Mali, the government said in a statement on Tuesday. The following day, the French army shared a video it said showed Russian mercenaries covering bodies with sand to falsely accuse the departing troops of war crimes. Earlier on Tuesday, Mali’s military announced an inquiry into the discovery of a mass grave at the Gossi base. It subsequently accused France of spying and attempting to sully the reputation of Malian forces with the drone-filmed video.

Source: News 24 April 28, 2022 06:09 UTC