🔴 Mali pardons French official Yann Vézilier, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison

Mali's junta chief pardoned a French intelligence agent on Thursday, a rare gesture aimed at improving relations with its former colonial ruler. The agent, Yann V., was serving a 20-year jail term and accused of being a spy who undermined state security. The decision came as Mali's military faced an offensive by jihadists and separatists.

The pardon does not question the facts established during trial, but the agent will be removed from Mali immediately. The release of the French agent was seen as a commitment to peace and dialogue by General Assimi Goita, Mali's junta leader. France has insisted the charges against the agent were baseless. The arrest of the French agent and Malian officers in August led to a suspension of counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries and the expulsion of Malian diplomats from France.