Leader of Russia's Wagner helped boot UN peacekeepers from Mali, US says

FILE PHOTO: Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery before the funeral of a Russian military blogger who was killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe, in Moscow, Russia, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yulia Morozova//File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it was concerned about the Russian Wagner Group's destabilizing activities in Africa and accused the leader of the mercenary force of helping to engineer the departure of U.N. peacekeepers from Mali.

The U.S. has information indicating Mali's transition government has paid more than $200 million to Wagner since late 2021, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.