Mali’s military government says it has detained a French national accused of working for France’s intelligence service in an alleged plot to overthrow the junta.
In a statement broadcast on state television late Thursday, Security Minister Gen. Daoud Aly Mohammedine named the suspect as Yann Vezilier, claiming he operated “on behalf of the French intelligence service” to destabilize the country. His photo was shown alongside several Malian army generals recently arrested for allegedly conspiring to topple the military rulers.
“The conspiracy has been foiled with the arrests of those involved,” Gen. Mohammedine declared.
French authorities have not yet commented on the arrest or the accusations. Vezilier has also not issued any public response.
Mali — a former French colony — has faced a worsening security crisis since 2012, fueled by Islamist insurgencies. The junta seized power citing the need to restore security, but jihadist attacks have persisted and even intensified.
Gen. Mohammedine said the plot involved “fringe elements of the Malian armed security forces” working with “foreign states.” He alleged that the French national helped mobilize “political leaders, civil society actors and military personnel” against the government.
The minister confirmed that two senior officers, including Gen. Abass Dembele, former governor of the Mopti region, were among those detained. Security sources told AFP that at least 55 soldiers have been arrested so far in connection with the case.
The arrests come amid rising political tensions. Former prime ministers Moussa Mara and Choguel Maïga were recently detained over accusations ranging from harming the state’s reputation to embezzlement. Mara, an outspoken critic of the junta, has been in custody since August 1.
In May, the junta dissolved all political parties after rare anti-government protests, a move critics say undermines national reconciliation efforts. Junta leader Gen. Asimi Goïta, who took power in coups in 2020 and 2021, extended the transition period by five years in July, allowing him to remain in power until at least 2030.
After severing ties with France, Mali has aligned more closely with Russia — along with neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso — in its fight against jihadist insurgents. But security conditions show little sign of improvement.
