By Emmanuel Nduka
France has announced the expulsion of two Malian diplomats and the suspension of its counterterrorism cooperation with Bamako, escalating tensions between the two countries.
The move follows the arrest last month of a French national, Yann Vezilier, accused by Malian authorities of involvement in an alleged coup plot against the junta.
Mali claimed Vezilier was working for France’s intelligence services and was detained alongside two army generals and eight others.
Paris, however, rejected the accusations, insisting Vezilier was an accredited embassy staff member and describing the charges as “unfounded.” France’s foreign ministry further condemned the arrest as a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In response to the suspension of cooperation and expulsions, Mali retaliated by ordering five French embassy staff to leave the country. According to a French diplomatic source cited by The New Republic, the officials departed Bamako on Sunday.
Relations between Mali and its former colonial ruler have deteriorated steadily since 2022, when Bamako severed military ties with France and began deepening its partnership with Russia. The breakdown comes as Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, battles a violent Islamist insurgency in the Sahel.
In recent weeks, militants have attempted to choke off Mali’s vital trade lifeline by attacking the key supply route to Senegal, the country’s primary access to the sea.
