France to Expel Two Malian Diplomats After French Official’s Arrest

Tensions are growing between France and Mali over the arrest of a French diplomat in the West African country.
France has declared two members of the Malian embassy in Paris persona non grata, diplomatic sources told dpa on Friday.
The French government is also suspending its cooperation with Mali in the fight against terrorism in the country.
Further measures are expected to follow if the French citizen is not released immediately.
According to the sources, the two Malian representatives must leave France by Saturday.
Malian authorities have reacted by declaring five employees of the French embassy persona non grata.
The Malian transitional government, led by Assimi Goïta, said several people were detained in August following a suspected coup attempt, including the French citizen.
It alleged that a group of military officers and civilians attempted to destabilise Mali with support from abroad.
Relations between Bamako and its former colonial power France are tense, and anti-French rhetoric has stepped up in recent years.
It said that France ended its military assistance in 2022.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, however, cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism continued with the help of a small group from the French DGSE foreign intelligence service in Bamako.