Mali's military have called a UN report accusing it of executing at least 500 people during a 2022 anti-militant operation, "fictitious" and "biased".
The army said the UN had used satellites to gather information for its report, and announced an investigation into "espionage".
The reaction came on Saturday, a day after the UN released its report into the events that unfolded in the central town of Moura between March 27-31, 2022.
Government spokesperson, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, in statement read on TV, said "No civilian from Moura lost their life during the military operation."
In the statement, the government also expressed surprise that the UN had used satellites above Moura to gather information, without permission.
Damning report
The figures quoted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR] amount to the worst atrocity Mali has experienced since a militant insurgency sprang in 2012.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the findings were "extremely disturbing" and it included "Summary executions, rape and torture during armed conflict amount to war crimes and could, depending on the circumstances, amount to crimes against humanity.”
Türk urged Malian authorities to respect the rules of international humanitarian law and international human rights law when engaging in any military law enforcement operation.
It is the most damning document yet against Mali's armed forces and their foreign allies.
The nationality of the foreign fighters is not explicitly identified in the report, but Mali has brought in Russians that western countries and others say are Wagner mercenaries.
