Mali Pardons Frenchman Jailed Over Alleged Coup Plot and Orders Him Out of the Country

Mali's ruling junta has pardoned a Frenchman sentenced to 20 years in prison for his alleged role in a plot to overthrow the government and ordered him to be immediately removed from the country, officials announced Thursday.

Yann Vezilier was arrested a year ago alongside several army generals and dozens of soldiers. Malian authorities accused him of trying to destabilize President Assimi Goïta's administration "on behalf of the French intelligence service."

It remains unclear what prompted Bamako to reverse course. The French foreign ministry has not commented on the pardon, having previously dismissed the espionage accusations as "unfounded."

In a Facebook post, the Malian government said the act of clemency "does not call into question the facts established by an adversarial judgment rendered during a trial, where all rights of the defence were respected." It also said Vezilier would be removed from Malian territory immediately.

The case has added to frictions between Mali and France, its former colonial ruler. Relations had already plummeted after Mali's military leaders broke with Paris and brought in Russian allies to help fight a jihadist insurgency that has gripped the country since 2012.

That insurgency was one of the reasons Goïta cited when he seized power in a 2021 coup. Yet attacks by militant groups have only continued, and in some areas intensified.

At the time of Vezilier's arrest, Mali's security minister, Gen. Daoud Aly Mohammedine, said "fringe elements of the Malian armed security forces" had been detained for seeking to "destabilise the institutions of the republic." He alleged they had obtained help from foreign states, and said Vezilier had acted on behalf of French intelligence, which "mobilised political leaders, civil society actors and military personnel."

The security situation has since worsened. In April, Mali's defense minister was killed in a suicide truck bombing on his residence near Bamako during a wave of militant attacks. Goïta later appointed himself defense minister, a move widely seen as an effort to consolidate his already firm grip on power.

Jihadist fighters have also imposed blockades on several towns, including Ségou, and at one point placed partial restrictions on movement in the capital itself.

The junta dissolved all political parties last May after rare anti-government demonstrations. Former Prime Minister Moussa Mara called the move a severe blow to reconciliation efforts by military leaders.

Goïta had promised to hold elections within two years of taking power, but no vote has been scheduled. Last July, the transitional period was extended by five years, a decision that allows him to remain in charge until at least 2030.

Mali, along with neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, has looked to Russian support to contain the insurgency. But there have been no significant improvements in security, and civilians in large parts of the Sahel remain exposed to militant violence.

The pardon of Vezilier marks the latest surprising turn in a case that had become a flashpoint in Mali's strained relationship with France, and raises questions about whether Bamako is seeking to reduce diplomatic damage or make a calculated gesture as it navigates its ties with both Paris and Moscow.