A French national detained in Mali is a staff member of the French embassy in Bamako, and the allegations against him are “unfounded,” France’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The Malian government identified the man as Yann Vezilier in a statement on Thursday, saying he was arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel, accused of involvement in a plot to destabilise the country.
“Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding,” the ministry said, adding that his detention breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
France’s ties with Mali and other former colonies in the Sahel have sharply deteriorated in recent years, following a wave of coups that toppled governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.