Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, has vowed continuous military assistance to Mali, which has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for more than a decade.
Lavrov was addressing at a press conference in Bamako, the capital of Mali, on his third trip to Africa in the last few months.
Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali’s military leader, has developed close ties with Russia, while relations with France have deteriorated.
Last year, French soldiers were asked to leave the country, and the Russian Wagner group has sent troops.
The United Nations wants an impartial investigation into potential war crimes committed by Malian government forces and Wagner mercenaries in Mali.