Mali Condemns French Armed Forces Minister's Remarks as 'Defamatory & Detrimental'

The Malian authorities deemed "defamatory and detrimental to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali" the comments made on October 11 in the French Senate by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu.

The minister warned French senators of "an almost immediate risk, in the coming weeks, for the security of Mali" due to a "resumption of terrorist activity that is absolutely worrying."

"This means potentially finding ourselves in a situation where there could be a partition of Mali in the coming weeks or months," said Lecornu.

'Mali is no longer a colony'

Bamako regretted that these "subversive, irresponsible and strange" statements that undermined "the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali" have not been the subject of a reaction from the French authorities.

"In the face of this passive complicity of the French junta, the transitional government condemns the statements of Mr. Lecornu and reminds the French authorities that Mali is no longer their colony since September 22, 1960 and that the fate of Mali cannot be decided in Paris. We pray fervently that his predictions turn against him and his country," said the statement by government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga.

According to the Malian government, the French minister's comments "are all the more serious because they actually offer an overview of a diabolical and desperate plan that undermines the territorial integrity of Mali."

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Bamako also criticized the "French junta" for sparing no efforts "to drive away MIMUSMA [the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali], instead of an orderly, coordinated and safe withdrawal."

"The objectives of this orchestrated escape, under the pretext of fallacious reasons and in contravention of the schedule of transfer of control to the Malian authorities, constitute a new betrayal, of which the armed and security forces of Mali are victims, and seek to equip terrorist groups by deliberately abandoning significant quantities of weapons and ammunition to carry out their nefarious designs," the authorities said.

In this context, the transitional government called on the Malian population to redouble their vigilance and strengthen national cohesion.

The transitional military government came to power in Mali in May 2021 through a military coup. The coup started on May 24, when the Malian army, led by then-Vice President Assimi Goita, arrested interim President Bah N'daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

In June, Malian voters approved constitutional changes in a referendum, marking a key step in the government's plans to restore civilian authority.

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Departure of MINUSMA

MINUSMA announced its departure from Mali in June 2023, at the request of national authorities who had demanded a withdrawal before the end of the year. The first phase of the withdrawal concluded at the end of August, when the last UN convoys left the Menaka camp, in the northeast of the country. More than 3,000 members of the mission have already been withdrawn.

Senior Colonel Souleymane Dembele assured in a press conference in early October that, despite the withdrawal of MINUSMA, Bamako would continue its war against terrorism. The areas under control of the UN mission will be retaken by Malian forces. According to the official, the mission didn't achieve its objectives in Mali and its presence for more than a decade has not put an end to the terrorist threat.

The mission was established by the UN Security Council on April 25, 2013. MINUSMA was asked to support the Malian authorities in stabilizing the country after the Tuareg rebellion in 2012.