A French citizen convicted of participating in an alleged conspiracy to undermine Mali’s military leadership has received a 20-year prison sentence, according to a source familiar with the proceedings on Friday. The case has further damaged diplomatic relations between the West African nation and France.
Yann Vezilier will serve his sentence in Mali after being convicted late Thursday, according to the source who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak with media.
Mali’s leadership announced Vezilier’s detention last August alongside two Malian generals, claiming he worked for French intelligence to rally political leaders, civil society members and military personnel against Assimi Goita’s administration.
France’s foreign ministry rejected these claims at the time, calling them “unfounded” and stating that Vezilier’s detention violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The West African nation has faced more than ten years of turmoil driven by Islamist insurgencies in its northern desert regions and political upheaval that resulted in military takeovers in 2020 and 2021, which brought Goita to leadership.
Government and justice ministry representatives in Mali did not respond immediately to requests for comment Friday. France’s foreign ministry also declined to provide comment.
Diplomatic ties between Mali and France, which previously ruled the territory as a colony, have significantly worsened in recent years. This deterioration reflects a wider regional pattern that has also seen Burkina Faso and Niger create distance from Paris.
