The Russian mercenary group Wagner is “taking advantage” of the instability in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the BBC, although he clarified that he did not believe Russia was behind the recent coup.. Niger is governed by a junta after the country's president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted nearly two weeks ago.

Blinken made the remarks after speculation that the coup leaders received help from Russian mercenaries, believed to be present in neighboring Mali. “I think that what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger, was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but they tried to take advantage of it,” Blinken said.

“Every place this Wagner group has gone has followed death, destruction and exploitation. Insecurity has gone up, not gone down,” said the head of US diplomacy, who stressed that there was a “repetition of what has happened in other countries.”

Wagner is estimated to have thousands of fighters in countries including the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, where he has lucrative business interests but also bolsters Russia's diplomatic and economic relations, the BBC says. The group's mercenaries have been accused of human rights abuses in several African countries.