France Suspends Mali Anti-Terror Cooperation After Arrest
France has suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered the country’s diplomats to leave Paris. The move followed the arrest of a French diplomatic staff member in Bamako in August.
The expulsion by the French government is the latest twist in a spiralling row between Paris and Bamako, which has been under military rule since successive coups in 2020 and 2021. The Malian junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita claimed “foreign states” were backing a plot to destabilise Malian institutions, allegedly involving a fringe group within the armed forces.
France has rejected the accusation as “baseless” and demanded the “immediate release” of its staff member, who it stressed was a duly accredited diplomat.
