By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
France claims that the arrest of French military veteran Yann Vezilier, a suspected spy, by Mali was based on “unfounded” charges alleging that Vezilier was involved in a coup plot—along with several Malian military officials, including two generals.
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said they were in talks with Malian officials to “clear up any misunderstanding.”
Vezilier, was a former lieutenant colonel, in France’s Air Force, for almost 30 years. In 2020, he was awarded France’s second most prestigious award: the National Order of Merit. But France is saying that Veziller is just working now as a diplomat at the French Embassy.
A similar rationale was use by France when, in 2024, three French diplomats (Gwenaelle Habouzit, Herve Fournier and Guillaume Reisacher) were kicked out of Burkina Faso for “subversive activities.” It was later admitted that these three were spies. At first, France had made the claim that the men were just “technicians” sent to “Burkina Faso to carry out computer maintenance work for the France embassy.”
Mali’s Security Minister, General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, said Vezillier works for the French intelligence services and was organizing “political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” to undermine Mali’s government, led by military leader and President Assimi Goita.
Mali, along with Burkina Faso and Niger, have all renounced ties with France, their former colonial masters, and formed the alliance of the Sahel states, in 2023. Burkina Faso’s military President Ibrahim Traoré has reportedly been the target of at least 19 assassination attempts, since Burkina Faso severed ties with France.
Chad, Ivory Coast, and Senegal have also asked France to remove their military bases from their countries. One of the main factors that has driven this change toward France is the volatile anti-French sentiments of the citizens in these countries—who are suffering economically, while France exploits the mineral richness of their nations.
French President Emmanuel Macron made the anti-French feeling worse when, on Jan. 6, 2025, at an annual meeting of French ambassadors, he made the following racist statement, “I think they forgot to say ‘thank you. I say this for all the African governments who’ve not had the courage in the face of public opinion to bear it that none of them would be in a sovereign country today if the French army had not been deployed in this region.”
Mohammedine announced the exposing of the plot saying, “The transitional government informs the national public of the arrest of a small group of marginal elements of the Malian armed and security forces for criminal offences aimed at destabilising the institutions of the republic. The conspiracy has been foiled with the arrests of those involved.” Two generals, said to have been involved in the plot, were Gen Abass Dembélé and Gen Néma Sagara.
Mohammedine said that a deep investigation into the coup plot has been ongoing since Aug. 1. He assured the nation that “the situation is completely under control.”
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