Mali hands French agent 20-year prison term for state security violations

A Malian court has sentenced a French national, described as an intelligence officer with diplomatic status, to 20 years in prison for compromising state security. The man, detained in Bamako since August 2025, was convicted on charges of undermining the country’s safety.

The verdict was delivered on Thursday by the criminal chamber of the specialized anti-terrorism unit. In addition to the prison term, the defendant identified as Yann V. received a 20-year ban from entering Mali and was ordered to pay a fine of 5,400 euros.

Malian authorities reported that Yann V. was arrested on August 13, 2025, during an operation by the State Security intelligence service. He was officially assigned to the French embassy in Bamako and was taken into custody alongside several officers from the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa).

The military personnel involved, dismissed from the army after their arrest, face accusations of being part of an espionage and conspiracy network intended to destabilize Mali’s transitional institutions and prepare a coup plot. Their trial has not yet taken place.

France has strongly denied the allegations. Reacting to the sentencing, the French foreign ministry called the accusations baseless and stated that the agent was carrying out a security cooperation mission. Paris insists it has never directly or indirectly participated in any effort to destabilize Mali.

This case has already sparked severe diplomatic tensions between the two countries. After the arrest, France suspended its anti-terrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two Malian diplomats to leave French territory.

Since the military came to power following the coups of 2020 and 2021, relations between Bamako and Paris have significantly worsened. Malian authorities have steadily reduced cooperation with Western partners, particularly France, while strengthening political and security ties with Russia.