Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the presence of the Wagner Group in Mali.

The Wagner Group is directly connected to the Russian state and is sanctioned under the UK's Russia sanctions regime. The UK is deeply concerned by its presence in Mali. The private Russian military company is a driver of conflict; it has committed human rights abuses elsewhere and been linked by nongovernmental organisations to abuses in Mali. Together with other partners active in the region, we continue to take a strong line against Wagner activities, and we remain committed to the UN peacekeeping mission there.