A Malian court has sentenced a French embassy official to 20 years in prison on charges of espionage and undermining state security, judicial sources confirmed on Friday. The ruling adds further strain to the already fragile relationship between Mali, led by a military junta since the 2021 coup, and its former colonial power, France.

The French national, detained since his arrest in August 2025, was also fined €5,400 and banned from entering Mali for two decades, according to three separate judicial sources.

At the time of his arrest, Malian authorities accused him—identified as Yann V.—of working for French intelligence services and accused “foreign states” of attempting to destabilize the country, which has been plagued by insurgencies.

He was detained on August 13 alongside several Malian officers allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow the junta. French officials have consistently denied these allegations, asserting that their employee was engaged in legitimate security cooperation activities.

“Our staff member is facing baseless legal proceedings,” a spokesperson for France’s Foreign Ministry stated on Friday. “He was carrying out a security cooperation mission and France has not, in any way, participated—directly or indirectly—in destabilizing Mali.”

Mali has faced a worsening security crisis since 2012, driven by violence from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as local criminal gangs. Since the junta took power, led by Assimi Goïta, the country has distanced itself from Western nations—especially France—and forged closer relations with Russia.

Like its neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali is now governed by military leaders who seized power in recent years, promising to restore security to their populations. However, analysts report that the security situation across the Sahel has deteriorated since these coups, with record numbers of attacks and civilian casualties attributed to both jihadist groups and government forces.