Mali arrests generals and suspected French agent in alleged coup plot

Malian authorities have detained a group of military officers and civilians, including two senior generals and a suspected French intelligence operative, over what they describe as a conspiracy to destabilise the country.

Security Minister General Daoud Aly Mohammedine confirmed the arrests in a televised address on the evening of August 14, following days of speculation about the detention of Malian military figures, Caliber.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

He assured the public that “the situation is completely under control.”

“The transitional government informs the national public of the arrest of a small group of marginal elements of the Malian armed and security forces for criminal offences aimed at destabilising the institutions of the republic,” Mohammedine said. “The conspiracy has been foiled with the arrests of those involved.”

According to the minister, the alleged coup attempt began on August 1. The suspects, he said, had “obtained the help of foreign states,” including assistance from a French national identified as Yann Christian Bernard Vezilier. Malian military authorities accused Vezilier of acting “on behalf of the French intelligence service,” claiming he worked to mobilise “political leaders, civil society actors and military personnel” in Mali.

Images of the alleged French operative, widely circulated on social media, showed a white man in his 50s wearing a white shirt and appearing visibly unsettled. National television also aired photographs of 11 individuals said to be part of the group behind the failed plot.

Among those detained are General Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region who was abruptly removed from his post in May after calling for an investigation into allegations that Malian troops had killed civilians in the village of Diafarabe. Also arrested was General Nema Sagara, previously celebrated for her role in the 2012 campaign against armed rebel groups.

Security sources told the media that at least 55 soldiers had been arrested so far, and the authorities are continuing efforts to identify “possible accomplices.”

Mali, one of the poorest nations in the world, has faced a worsening security crisis since 2012, driven by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), as well as local criminal networks.

Under President Assimi Goita, the military leadership has distanced itself from Western allies — especially France, the country’s former colonial ruler — and moved closer to Russia in political and military cooperation, citing the need to protect national sovereignty.

In June, Mali’s transitional legislature extended Goita’s rule by five more years, despite previous pledges to return the country to civilian governance by March 2024.

By Tamilla Hasanova