The United Nations is warning about an “exponential rise” in civilian killings and abuses carried out by armed forces in Mali as it battles jihadist fighters. A new U.N. report documents the deaths of 248 civilians by Malian defense and security forces in the first three months of the year. The U.N. also documented a tenfold rise in human rights abuses carried out by the state. The U.N. said the abuses were “supported by foreign military elements” — an apparent reference to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary force.