France suspends its security cooperation with Mali and expels diplomats in response to the detention of its employee

France has suspended its military and security cooperation with Mali in the fight against terrorism and ordered Malian diplomats to leave its territory, in response to the authorities in Bamako detaining a French diplomat last month.

This move came after Malian authorities announced last August the detention of a French citizen on suspicion of working for French intelligence agencies, accusing "foreign countries" of attempting to destabilize the country.

According to a French diplomatic source, the two Malian diplomats were given "until Saturday to leave the country." The same source revealed that Mali had already declared "five of the staff" of the French embassy in Bamako as "undesirable," but they left the country last Sunday.

The source warned that "other measures" will be implemented soon "if our citizen is not released quickly."

For its part, France denied these accusations and described them as "unjustified." Paris stated last August that it was in talks with Mali "to remove any misunderstandings" and ensure the "immediate release" of its diplomatic employee, emphasizing that he is entitled to diplomatic immunity.

This diplomatic crisis comes amid rising tensions between the two countries. Last month, the ruling military council in Mali announced the arrest of dozens of soldiers on charges of attempting to overthrow the government.

Mali, a country located in West Africa, has been suffering from unrest and violence perpetrated by groups linked to "Al-Qaeda" and "ISIS" since 2012, in addition to criminal gangs.

The military council led by President Assimi Goita came to power after two consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021, later abandoning its Western partners, including France, the former colonial power, and turning to a political and military alliance with Russia under the banner of preserving national sovereignty.