Mali: Mali Junta Pardons French Agent Jailed for 'Undermining State Security'
[RFI] Mali's junta leader General Assimi Goïta has pardoned a French intelligence agent serving a 20-year prison sentence, a rare conciliatory move after years of strained relations between the west African nation and its former colonial ruler.
French intelligence agent Yann Vézilier, jailed for 20 years for alleged espionage and undermining state security, has been pardoned by Mali's junta leader General Assimi Goïta. The pardon, announced on Thursday, comes amid ongoing tension between Mali and its former colonial ruler France. Vézilier was arrested in August alongside several Malian officers accused of planning a coup.
France has consistently denied these allegations as baseless. The French foreign ministry stated that Vézilier was conducting a security cooperation mission and that France never participated in Mali's destabilization. In a statement, Mali said the pardon does not question the facts established by the trial, and the agent will be immediately removed from the country.
The sentencing of Vézilier had previously strained relations between France and Mali, as the military has been in power since coups in 2020 and 2021.
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