There have never been so many international partners fighting jihadism in the Sahel, Defence Minister Florence Parly told reporters after meeting her Malian counterpart Colonel Sadio Camara.

"Such a choice would be one of isolation," she said, referring to a Wagner deal.

"Everyone must be well aware of the consequences," Parly added. Camara had assured her that no final decision had been made, she said.

Parly was repeating last week's warning to Bamako from the former colonial power against signing a deal with private-security firm Wagner, after reports that Mali's army-dominated government was close to hiring 1,000 paramilitaries.

France has thousands of troops stationed in war-torn Mali. The Russian private-security firm Wagner is considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been accused of committing abuses.

On Sunday, Mali's foreign ministry stated -- without naming any country or Wagner -- that it "would not allow any state to make its choices".

- 'Mercenaries' -

Before meeting Camara on Monday, Parly told journalists that she was travelling to Mali to press home her government's opposition to Wagner.

"We will not be able to cohabit with mercenaries," she said.

But the visit also comes following months of tense relations between the two countries, exacerbated by two military coups in the space of one year.

France is concerned about military strongman Colonel Assimi Goita's commitment to hold swift elections to return Mali to civilian rule.

Paris is also planning a major reduction in troop numbers across the Sahel, with several French army bases in northern Mali set to close by early 2022.

Last week, Malian interim Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga suggested that talks between Bamako and Wagner were motivated by the French drawdown.

"There are partners who have decided to leave Mali to withdraw to other countries, there are areas that are abandoned," he said.

Russian paramilitaries, private-security instructors and companies have grown increasingly influential in Africa in recent years, particularly in the conflict-ridden Central African Republic (CAR).

The United Nations has accused Wagner contractors of committing abuses in CAR.

Last week, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix insisted that any partnership between Mali and Wagner had tl be "carried out in full respect for human rights".

- Political turmoil -

The United Nations has 13,000 peacekeepers in the country of 19 million people.

Germany, which also has troops in Mali, has warned Bamako it will reconsider its deployment should the government strike a deal with Wagner.

Already battling a jihadist insurgency, Mali slid into political turmoil last year, culminating in a military coup in August 2020 against president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Under the threat of sanctions, the military then appointed an interim civilian government tasked with steering the country back to democratic rule.

But army strongman Colonel Assimi Goita overthrew the leaders of that interim government in May -- in a second putsch -- and was later declared interim president himself.

The move drew broad international condemnation and soured already tense relations with France.

President Macron announced his troop reductions in July in the aftermath of the second coup.

Goita has pledged to respect a February 2022 deadline for civilian elections set by the previous interim government.

But rampant insecurity in Mali, which has left swathes of the country outside of government control, has cast doubt on the reform timetable.