Article Author:
Associated Press
Baba Ahmed
Bamako, Mali (AP) — Mali's foreign minister accuses France of colluding with fellow Islamic extremists. Troops departed earlier this week, but the French government has strongly denied the allegations. Their attack, the latest effort to undermine support for the
The last French troops from Operation Balkan left Mali on Monday after relations with the Malian military junta's leadership who seized power two years ago soured sharply. rice field.
“The Malian government indicates that France has used these flagrant violations of Malian airspace to collect intelligence on terrorist groups operating in the Sahel and to drop weapons and ammunition. We have some evidence," he said. Abdoulaye Diop wrote in a letter to the United Nations:
The Malian government called on the United Nations to "make efforts to immediately end the acts of aggression against Mali by the French Republic."
The French embassy in Mali strongly denied the allegations in a tweet posted on Wednesday.
"France has clearly never supported, directly or indirectly, these terrorist groups who remain designated enemies on Earth," the embassy tweeted.
The French military declined to comment on Mali's letter, calling it a "diplomatic and political matter".
In 2013, France led a military operation to expel Islamic extremists from major towns in northern Mali where extremists have seized power, and to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law known as Shariah. It began imposing severe penalties on violating civilians.
When French forces liberated northern towns, many Malians welcomed them by waving hand-stitched French flags.
However, militants have regrouped in the surrounding desert areas and continued their attacks on Malian forces and UN peacekeepers trying to stabilize the country. Militant violence has increased and spread further south near the capital. Frustration over the attack helped fuel support for the coup leaders that overthrew Mali's democratically elected president two years ago.
Anti-French sentiment is also on the rise amidst the relentless attacks. Earlier this year, France announced it would withdraw its troops from Mali as part of a regional military restructuring. The French embassy in Bamako said Wednesday that 53 of his French soldiers had died during his nine-year military presence in the country.
"Their mission was above all to combat terrorist groups and in doing so improve security for the Malian people," he tweeted.
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Associated Press writer, United Nations Edith M. Lederer. Angela Charlton in Paris. Contributed by Barbara Sark of Nice, France.
