Mali ends counterterror cooperation with France and expels embassy staff

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s ruling junta has declared an end to counterterrorism cooperation with France and expelled five French Embassy employees, according to a confidential letter seen by The Associated Press on Thursday, amid diplomatic tensions between the countries.

A note dated Sept. 17 from Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the French Embassy in the capital, Bamako, said the five staff had been declared “personae non grata” and announced ”the cessation of all international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”

The ministry note did not give a reason for the embassy expulsions.

A French diplomatic source told the AP that the move by Mali was in response to France’s decision last week to expel two Malian intelligence services officers working at Mali’s embassy in Paris and suspending counterterrorism cooperation.

Diplomatic tensions have been growing recently between France and Mali following the arrest in August of a French intelligence services officer working at the embassy in Bamako.

Malian authorities had accused the French national of attempting to organize a coup with the help of several members of Mali’s military, including two army generals, who were also arrested around the same time.

Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has long battled an insurgency by armed militants, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following two military coups, the ruling junta expelled French troops and instead turned to Russia for security assistance. But the security situation remains precarious, and attacks from extremist groups linked with al-Qaida intensified in recent months.

Despite the departure of French troops, France and Mali’s intelligence services had continued cooperating on counterterrorism.