French embassy employee arrested in Mali on
'unfounded' accusations,
says French foreign office
A French man arrested in Mali is a member of the French embassy
in the capital Bamako and accusations against him are
“unfounded”, the French foreign office said in a statement to
Reuters on Saturday.
The embassy worker, named as Yann Vezilier by the Malian
government in a statement on Thursday, was arrested in recent
weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel and
accused of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the
West African nation.
“Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding,” the
ministry statement said. It added that his arrest was in
violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
France’s once close relationship with its former colonies in
West Africa’s Sahel region has soured in recent years since a
series of military coups overthrew governments in Mali, Burkina
Faso and Niger.