Mali’s military government has arrested two senior generals and a French national accused of involvement in a plot to destabilise the country, the interior ministry said on Thursday.
Those detained include French citizen Yann Vezilier, whom authorities accuse of working with French intelligence to mobilise political, civil society and military figures against the government. Paris has declined to comment on his arrest.
Malian state media also named former Mopti governor General Abass Dembele and senior military figure General Nema Sagara among 10 others detained. The ministry did not give a total number of arrests, describing those held as “a group of marginal elements,” and said the situation was under control.
The arrests come after sources told Reuters that more than 30 soldiers and officers were taken into custody this week for allegedly plotting to destabilise President Assimi Goita’s rule.
Relations between Mali and France have sharply deteriorated since coups in 2020 and 2021 brought Goita to power, prompting Bamako to expel French troops and pivot towards Russian support.
The junta has suspended political activity and extended Goita’s mandate for a renewable five-year term, abandoning earlier election pledges. Meanwhile, violence by al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin has surged in recent months, adding to Mali’s chronic security crisis.