A Malian court has sentenced a French national, described as a spy for French intelligence with diplomatic status, to 20 years in prison for undermining state security. Detained in Bamako since August 2025, he was found guilty following a trial on Thursday before the criminal chamber of the specialized anti-terrorism division. In addition to the prison term, the defendant, identified as Yann V., received a 20-year ban from entering Mali and was fined 5,400 euros.
According to Malian authorities, the man was arrested on August 13, 2025, during an operation by the State Security, the country’s intelligence service. Officially assigned to the French embassy in Bamako, he was apprehended alongside several officers from the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa).
The military personnel involved, dismissed from the army after their arrest, are accused of participating in an espionage and conspiracy network aimed at destabilizing Mali’s transitional institutions and preparing a coup plot. Their trial has not yet taken place.
France has strongly denied the accusations. Reacting to the verdict, the French foreign ministry dismissed the charges as baseless, stating that the agent was carrying out a security cooperation mission. Paris insists it has never been involved, directly or indirectly, in any effort to destabilize Mali.
The case has already sparked severe diplomatic tensions between the two countries. After the arrest, France suspended its counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and requested two Malian diplomats to leave its territory.
Since the military came to power following the 2020 and 2021 coups, relations between Bamako and Paris have deteriorated sharply. Malian authorities have gradually reduced cooperation with Western partners, particularly France, while strengthening political and security ties with Russia.
