Tensions between Mali and France deepened following the arrest last month of a French citizen accused by Malian authorities of being involved in a coup plot against the ruling junta in Bamako.
Mali identified the man as Yann Vezilier, alleging he was working for France’s intelligence service. He was detained along with two army generals and eight others.
France strongly objected to his arrest, insisting that Vezilier was an accredited member of its embassy in Bamako and dismissing the accusations as “baseless.”
Paris foreign ministry further argued that the detention violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In response, France suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two Malian diplomats to leave the country by Saturday.
Mali hit back by expelling five members of the French embassy. According to a French diplomatic source cited by The New Republic, the officials departed Bamako on Sunday.
