Experts working with the U.N. Human Rights Council are calling for an investigation into allegations that Malian troops and Wagner Group mercenaries committed war crimes against civilians in Mali.  The experts said they are concerned about "credible reports" that Malian troops and Wagner forces executed several hundred people in late March 2022. The 12 experts issued a public statement on Wednesday to bring attention to the alleged crimes.  The experts say they have received evidence of crimes including "horrific executions, mass graves, acts of torture, rape, and sexual violence," allegedly perpetrated by Malian forces and their allies since 2021. The Russia-based mercenary group, which was founded by close Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been operating in Mali for at least a year alongside Malian troops. The Malian government reportedly hired the Wagner Group to assist in its fight against a decade-old Islamist insurgency.  Last year, a researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project said that Wagner Group mercenaries "played a central role" in the documented increase in civilian fatalities in Mali. The Wagner Group has also been linked to increased violence against civilians in the Central African Republic. The State Department sanctioned individuals and companies linked to the Wagner Group last week in response to the mercenary group's involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.