France urges Mali to release diplomat seized in coup plot case

France has denounced the ‘unfounded’ arrest of its diplomat in Mali, calling for his immediate release.

According to Africanews plus agencies, reported on August 18^th, the French diplomat Yann Vezillier was taken into custody in Mali’s recent sweep of arrests surrounding the alleged coup plot. The junta reportedly labelled the Frenchman as an intelligence agent tasked with mobilising soldiers and civil society actors.

France’s foreign affairs ministry has said they are in talks with Malian authorities over his release, citing the arrest was a “misunderstanding,” but also in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Africanews, Maghrebi.org