Paris has confirmed that a French national detained in Mali over an alleged coup plot is an employee of its embassy in Bamako, while firmly rejecting accusations of his involvement in efforts to destabilize the West African nation’s military-led government.
Malian authorities last week announced the arrest of Yann Vezilier, accusing him of working on behalf of French intelligence to rally political leaders, civil society actors, and military officers in what they described as “criminal activities” aimed at undermining the state.
In a statement on Saturday, France’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and stressed that a diplomatic dialogue with Malian authorities was underway to secure Vezilier’s immediate release. “This member of the French Embassy in Bamako enjoys the protection afforded under the Vienna Convention,” the ministry said, referring to international provisions granting diplomatic immunity.
The case comes against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating relations between Mali and its former colonial ruler. In recent years, Bamako has severed defense ties with Paris, accusing France of undermining regional stability and failing to contain a decade-long jihadist insurgency. Mali, along with Niger and Burkina Faso, has since turned to new security partnerships, including with Russia.
Malian officials, however, insist that Vezilier’s arrest is justified. Security Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine said investigations are underway to identify “possible accomplices” linked to “subversive acts” involving foreign states. Fousseynou Ouattara, vice president of the defense committee of Mali’s National Transitional Council, argued that Vezilier was “caught in the act” and therefore not entitled to diplomatic immunity. He alleged that the diplomat, who has served as second secretary in Bamako for a year, cultivated ties with senior political and military figures to spread “ideological indoctrination.”
The standoff underscores a deepening rift between Bamako and Paris, amid broader geopolitical realignments in the Sahel.
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