The US envoy to the UN accused the Russia-backed mercenary group Wagner on Thursday of exploiting natural resources in African countries to help fund Moscow’s wars in Ukraine and elsewhere.

''One of the most immediate and growing concerns in Africa is the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group’s strategy of exploiting the natural resources of the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan as well as other countries,'' Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council.

''These ill-gotten gains are used to fund Moscow’s war machine in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine,” she added.

Known as a Russian private military company, Wagner Group has reportedly operated in Ukraine, Syria and Libya and some African countries including Mali and the Central African Republic.

Thomas-Greenfield said people across Africa are paying a heavy price for the Wagner Group’s exploitative practices and human rights violations.

She called on the 15-member Security Council to go after those who exploit natural resources and fund armed conflicts and terrorism.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia denied the claims by his American counterpart and accused the US of stealing Syrian oil.

"The United States is stealing oil on the pretext of countering terrorism. At first, they picked a company with a rather obscure background that was supposed to do this,'' he said. ''But then, when even Washington's allies thought the situation was scandalous, the American side got back to robbing Syria of its resources in another way – through the US military.” (Anadolu Agency)