UNITED NATIONS, United States, Feb 23, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - France and the
United States on Tuesday at the UN Security Council denounced paramilitaries
from Russian private security firm Wagner accused of civilian killings in the
Central African Republic, a charge Russia denies.

   "In Aigbando, in mid-January, more than a dozen civilians were killed. The
testimonies were clear: the people were executed by Wagner mercenaries,"
French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere told the 15-member council,
adding that Wagner is the only entity in CAR that operates with impunity.

   "Afterward, the mercenaries planted mines around the village to stop
MINUSCA from investigating," De Riviere said, referring to the UN
peacekeeping mission in CAR.

   "The violence is systematic, deliberate, it is part of a method that
intends to provoke terror to control certain territories and draw profit," he
added.

   US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States was "deeply
concerned by reports that (Central African Armed Forces) and Wagner Group
forces continue to target predominantly Muslim communities in their military
operations."

   She said "credible sources" reported Wagner forces killed "more than 30
unarmed civilians" Aigbando, adding there were some 20 "execution-style
killings."

   "These forces are committing horrific acts and trampling over the human
rights we have fought so hard to preserve for the people of CAR who deserve
to have their human rights respected," Thomas-Greenfield said, calling on the
government and MINUSCA to "hold accountable those responsible for these
heinous acts."

   In a recent report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to an
operation carried out against suspected rebels in Aigbando between January 16
and 18 by the CAR military and Russian paramilitaries, which he said lead to
the deaths of 17 civilians, without offering further details.

   UN Russian diplomat Anna Estigneeva rejected the accusations on Tuesday.

   Moscow claims to have no ties with Wagner and only recognizes the presence
of "Russian instructors" in CAR as part of an agreement with Bangui.

   She called the charges "attempts to discredit" Russian specialists in the
country, denouncing "hysterical campaigns" intended to prevent sovereign
countries from choosing with whom to cooperate.

   Norwegian ambassador to the UN Mona Juul called out Russia for blocking
the renewal of the group of UN experts in charge of monitoring arms sanctions
against CAR, a group Moscow has blasted as too pro-Western.