France said Monday that it was concerned by information that hundreds of civilians had been killed in the Malian village of Moura in an operation by elements of the armed forces joined by Russian mercenary allies. “France is deeply concerned by information of mass abuses in the village of Moura by elements of the Malian armed forces accompanied by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group, which are said to have caused the death of hundreds of civilians,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement. Mali’s army said Friday that it had killed 203 combatants in an operation in Moura late last month, which it termed a “terrorist fiefdom.” Its announcement came as numerous social media reports in Mali this week alleged that dozens of people, including civilians, had been killed in Moura. AFP was unable to verify the army’s claimed death toll or the social media reports about civilian deaths. The French statement called for the rapid opening of “national and international investigations” to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice. “The fight against terrorist groups operating in the Sahel can in no way justify violations of human rights,” the ministry said.