International community will stop supporting Mali if it brings in mercenaries - France

FILE PHOTO: French Defence Minister Florence Parly speaks during the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

PARIS (Reuters) - France warned Mali on Thursday that it would lose the support of the international community if it agreed a deal with Russian mercenaries.

Diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters that Mali's year-old military junta is close to recruiting the Russian Wagner Group https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-deal-allowing-russian-mercenaries-into-mali-is-close-sources-2021-09-13, and France has launched a diplomatic drive to thwart it, saying such an arrangement is "incompatible" with a continued French presence.