The ruling junta in Mali announced on Monday evening that it was breaking the agreements setting the legal framework for the presence in Mali of the French Barkhane and European Takuba forces, as well as the defense cooperation treaty, concluded in 2014 between Mali and France. .
The decision of the Malian junta to denounce the defense agreements with Paris is “unjustified”protested Tuesday the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifying that France would continue its military withdrawal “in good order” as planned in the coming months. “Informed, on May 2, of the unilateral decision of the Malian transitional authorities to denounce” these agreements, France “considers this decision unjustified and formally contests any violation of the bilateral legal framework which would be attributable to the Barkhane force”underlines the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay in a written statement.
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The junta in power in Mali announced on Monday evening that it was breaking the status of force agreements (Status of Force Agreements, or Sofa) setting the legal framework for the presence in Mali of the French Barkhane and European Takuba forces, as well as the cooperation treaty in defence, concluded in 2014 between Mali and France. The government spokesman, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, invoked “unilateral attitudeof France when it suspended joint operations with Malian forces in June 2021, the announcement in February — “again without any consultation of the Malian side— the withdrawal of the Barkhane and Takuba forces, as well as themultiple violationsof the airspace by French aircraft despite the establishment of a vast no-fly zone above the territory.
French army accused of ‘espionage’
Last week, the junta also accused the French army of “spying” and of “subversion“after the broadcast by the French general staff of videos shot by a drone near the base of Gossi (center), returned in April by France, showing according to him Russian mercenaries burying bodies in sight to accuse France of war crimes. Paris has, however, ruled out any repercussions on the calendar of Barkhane’s delicate current withdrawal, announced in February and supposed to be spread over six months. The Quai d’Orsay assures that it “will continue the orderly withdrawal of its military presence in Mali, in accordance with the commitments made to its partners and with a view to coordination and respectful dialogue with the Malian armed forces“.
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Moreover, Parisreaffirms its vigilance with regard to any attempt to manipulate information” and “recalls its determination to ensure the safety of its soldiers and of the European soldiers engaged alongside it during this phase of disengagement“. The UN Security Council held an informal closed-door meeting on Mali on Tuesday at Russia’s request, diplomats said. In a letter sent to the UN at the end of April, obtained by AFP, Bamako had denounced “repeated and deliberate violations of national airspace by foreign aircraft, in particular by French forces, for purposes of espionage, intimidation and subversion“.
SEE ALSO – In Mali, the junta “denounces” the defense agreements with France