Mali Vows to Defend its Sovereignty From French Infringement

The presence of French troops in Africa’s Sahel region dates back to 2013, when they were first deployed to Mali to fight terrorism. In August, France withdrew its soldiers from the African country after its relationship with the government of Mali deteriorated.

Mali’s government will defend itself if France continues to violate the country’s sovereignty and security, the country’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said on Tuesday at a UN Security Council briefing on Mali in New York.

Speaking about violations, the minister reiterated allegations that France had breached Malian airspace by flying drones, military helicopters, and planes, and was providing weapons to extremists that have been operating in Mali for the past decade.

"The government of Mali reserves the right to exercise its right to self-defense… if France continues to undermine the sovereignty of our country and to undermine its territorial integrity and its national security," Diop said.

The minister also argued that a specific meeting of the Security Council should be held in order to “bring to light evidence regarding duplicitous acts, acts of espionage and acts of destabilization waged by France.”

France's representative denied the accusations.

In 2013, France deployed troops to Mali to fight terrorism in the Sahel region.

The spark in regional violence followed NATO’s intеrvention in Libya, where its leader Muammar Gaddafi was murdered in 2011.

In 2014, France expanded its presence in the Sahel, launching Operation Barkhane and deployed thousands of soldiers to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad.

However, despite the French intervention, the terrorist threat in Mali and neighboring countries kept growing, according to a report from the US-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Over the years, dissatisfaction with French forces’ activities have caused a wave of anti-French protests in the Sahel.

Protests against the presence of French troops in Africa took place in Mali in January 2022, Niger in September 2022, and November 2021, Burkina Faso in October and July, Chad in May this year.

In August 2022, French troops completed their withdrawal from Mali after falling out with the Malian government and relocated to Niger, prompting demonstrations.

The withdrawal coincided with Diop’s accusations that Paris was undermining Mali’s security, a matter that was expressed in a letter to the head of the United Nations Security Council in late August 2022.