The Malian judiciary has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a French national who was operating under diplomatic cover and accused of working for French intelligence. Detained in Bamako since August 2025, he was found guilty of crimes against state security.
The verdict was delivered on Thursday by the criminal chamber of the special anti-terrorism court. In addition to the prison term, the defendant, identified as Yann V., received a 20-year ban from entering Mali and was ordered to pay a fine of 5,400 euros.
Malian authorities stated that the individual was arrested on August 13, 2025, during an operation carried out by the State Security service, the country’s intelligence agency. Officially assigned to the French embassy in Bamako, he was detained alongside several officers from the Malian armed forces (FAMa).
Those military personnel, expelled from the army following their arrest, are accused of taking part 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 firmly rejected the allegations against its citizen. In response to the sentencing, the French foreign ministry denounced the accusations as baseless and stated that the agent was carrying out a security cooperation mission. Paris insists it never participated, directly or indirectly, in any effort to destabilize Mali.
This case had already sparked significant diplomatic friction between the two nations. After the arrest, France suspended its counter-terrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two Malian diplomats to leave French territory.
Since the military came to power following the coups of 2020 and 2021, relations between Bamako and Paris have deteriorated sharply. Malian authorities have progressively curtailed cooperation with Western partners, particularly France, while strengthening political and security ties with Russia.