The Malian transitional government says it has arrested a group of soldiers and civilians accused of plotting to destabilise the country’s institutions with the backing of foreign states.
The statement was signed by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, who also serves as government spokesperson.
According to a statement signed by the Minister of Territorial Administration, on Thursday, August 14, the suspects described as marginal elements of the Malian Armed and Security Forces were apprehended on August 1, following the failure of the alleged conspiracy.
The statement added that the arrest followed investigations by specialised security services which uncovered plans involving political figures, civil society actors and senior military officers.
Among those detained is a French national, identified as Yann Vezilier, alleged to be working for French intelligence services.
The government accused Vezilier of mobilising political leaders, civil society members and senior military officers, including Brig.-Gens. Abass Dembele and Néma Sagara, in the plot.
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“At a time when the Malian nation, united in all its components, is mobilised to consolidate our regained sovereignty and eradicate the obscurantist terrorist forces of the Confederation of Sahel States, these individuals sought to break the momentum of Mali’s refoundation,” the statement read.
The Malian government condemned the act as subversive and reassured the public that judicial investigations are ongoing to identify other possible accomplices.
The government also stressed that the Armed and Security Forces remain determined to complete their mission of fighting terrorism in all its forms, while assuring its citizens that the situation is fully under control.
It called on Malians to remain calm but vigilant against what it described as desperate destabilisation attempts, which it vowed would always fail, God willing.
“May God bless Mali,” the statement concluded.
