Latest news with #YannVezilier
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
France says Mali's arrest of embassy worker on coup charges ‘unfounded'
France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has said that a French man recently arrested in Mali on 'unfounded' charges of plotting a coup was a French embassy employee. The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it was in talks with Bamako to 'clear up any misunderstanding' and obtain the 'immediate release' of Yann Vezilier, who had been arrested 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 following 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 soured since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago. The military government, led by President Assimi Goita, has turned away from Western partners, notably former colonial power France, expelling its troops and turning to Russia for security assistance. The country has since been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence from groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group, as well as local criminal gangs. In June, Goita was granted an additional five years in power, despite the military government's earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by March 2024. The move followed the military's dissolution of political parties in May.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
French embassy employee arrested in Mali on "unfounded" accusations, says French foreign office
PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - A French man arrested in Mali is a member of the French embassy in the capital Bamako and accusations against him are "unfounded", the French foreign office said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. The embassy worker, named as Yann Vezilier by the Malian government in a statement on Thursday, was arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel and accused of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the West African nation. "Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding," the ministry statement said. It added that his arrest was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. France's once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa's Sahel region has soured in recent years since a series of military coups overthrew governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
French embassy employee arrested in Mali on "unfounded" accusations, says French foreign office
PARIS (Reuters) -A French man arrested in Mali is a member of the French embassy in the capital Bamako and accusations against him are "unfounded", the French foreign office said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. The embassy worker, named as Yann Vezilier by the Malian government in a statement on Thursday, was arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel and accused of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the West African nation. "Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding," the ministry statement said. It added that his arrest was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. France's once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa's Sahel region has soured in recent years since a series of military coups overthrew governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
French embassy employee arrested in Mali on "unfounded" accusations, says French foreign office
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox PARIS - A French man arrested in Mali is a member of the French embassy in the capital Bamako and accusations against him are "unfounded", the French foreign office said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. The embassy worker, named as Yann Vezilier by the Malian government in a statement on Thursday, was arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel and accused of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the West African nation. "Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding," the ministry statement said. It added that his arrest was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. France's once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa's Sahel region has soured in recent years since a series of military coups overthrew governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. REUTERS
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
African state arrests suspected French spy
Mali has arrested a French national accused of spying for his country's intelligence services in an attempt to overthrow the West African country's transitional government. Relations between Bamako and Paris have deteriorated in recent years amid allegations that France is sponsoring terrorism to destabilize the Sahel military regimes. Yann Vezilier was among a 'small group of marginal elements' in the Malian army detained on August 1 for 'criminal activities aimed at destabilizing' the country, Security Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine said in a statement on Thursday. He said Vezilier was 'acting on behalf of the French Intelligence Service, which mobilized political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel,' including two generals, Abass Dembele and Nema Sagara, seeking to 'break the dynamic of rebuilding Mali.' Dembele is a former governor of the Mopti region, while Sagara is a brigadier general in the air force and regarded as one of the few high-ranking women in the Malian army. Mali is currently ruled by interim President Assimi Goita, an army colonel who led a 2020 military coup against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita – as well as the May 2021 overthrow of his replacement, Bah N'Daw. Unconfirmed reports earlier this week claimed that dozens of Malian soldiers had been detained over a failed plot to topple Goita's government. At least 55 soldiers are said to have been arrested, AFP reported, citing security sources, while Reuters put the figure at between 36 and 40. On Thursday, Security Minister Mohammedine condemned what he called a 'subversive act' involving 'foreign states' and said an investigation was under way to identify 'possible accomplices.' 'The armed and security forces remain determined to complete their mission to combat terrorism, in all its forms,' he declared. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger – has repeatedly accused France of seeking to sabotage the group by pressuring members to turn on each other. Niger's transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has alleged that French operatives are also working with rebel factions along border areas in neighboring Benin and Nigeria as part of a coordinated effort to destabilize his country and the wider Sahel.
