By Enyichukwu Enemanna
French authorities say a national recently arrested in Mali on “unfounded” allegation of plotting a coup was an employee of France’s embassy, and has called for his immediate release.
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on Saturday said that it was in talks with Bamako to “clear up any misunderstanding” and obtain the “immediate release” of Yann Vezilier, who had been taken into custody in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel.
It added that the arrest of the French national was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Mali’s security minister, General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, had announced Vezilier’s arrest on Thursday, alleging that he had been working for the French intelligence services, mobilising “political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” to destabilise the country.
Mohammedine said that a full investigation into the alleged plot, which he said had been launched on August 1, was under way and that “the situation is completely under control”.
The arrests followed a crackdown on dissent after a pro-democracy rally in May, the first since the military government came to power after back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.
France’s once close relationship with its former colony in West Africa’s Sahel region has deteriorated since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago.
The military government, led by President Assimi Goita, has ditched Western partners, including former colonial power France, expelling its troops and turning to Russia for security and economic assistance.
The country has since been gripped by a security crisis since 2012 fuelled by violence from groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group, as well as local criminal gangs.
The military government in May dissolved political parties, going ahead in June to grant Goita additional five years in power, despite an earlier promise of a return to civilian rule by March 2024.
