France “condemned” this Thursday the “multiplication” according to her “of the manipulation of information” in Mali, which asked the UN Security Council for an emergency meeting to put an end to what it presents as “French acts of aggression” .
Mali’s government, dominated by the military, accuses France of violating its sovereignty, supporting, according to Bamako, jihadist groups and espionage.
In a letter addressed by the head of Malian diplomacy, Abdoulaye Diop, to the current Chinese presidency of the UN Security Council, Mali “invites” the Council to work so that France “immediately ceases its acts of aggression” and calls for an emergency meeting.
Mali “reserves the right to use legitimate defense” if French actions persist, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, the minister says.
“France will tirelessly continue the fight against terrorism”
Reacting to these accusations on Thursday, French Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman François Delmas stated during a press conference: “We condemn the proliferation of information manipulations which must in no way divert attention from the degradation of the security and humanitarian situation. in the country whose populations are the first victims”.
“The withdrawal of the Barkhane force from Mali has been effective since August 15 and was carried out in full transparency with the Malian armed forces and with the partners committed to our side,” he continued.
“France will tirelessly continue the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa, in support of the political, civil and military efforts of ECOWAS and the States of the region, and in full coordination with its European and American partners. additional.
The French Embassy in Mali had hammered in a tweet on Wednesday that “France has obviously never supported, directly or indirectly, these terrorist groups, which remain their designated enemies throughout the planet.”
These latest manifestations of deteriorating relations coincide with the departure of the last French soldier from Mali after nine years of fighting against the jihadists. The junta in power in Mali since the August 2020 coup has turned away from France and its allies to Russia.
Source: BFM TV
