The Malian junta government has finally severed its relationship with its colonial master, France.
The decision to cut ties additionally came with the action to break the defense accord that was initiated in 2014. They also condemned what they tagged as “flagrant violations” of Mali’s national sovereignty by the French troops based there.
“For some time now, the government of the Republic of Mali notes with regret a profound deterioration in military cooperation with France,” spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said in a televised statement.
Maiga cited multiple instances of French forces having violated the country’s airspace with spy drones which captured footage in Mali’s terrain without permission. An act contravening their sovereignty.
He threw light on the June 2021 decision by France to end joint operations with Malian forces.
Tensions between France and the military government in Mali have been gradually on the rise ever since the former seized power in August 2000.
Earlier, the Malian Army-dominated government had called for the removal of French troops from the country following unfavorable comments made by French stakeholders against the Malian authorities.
France has withdrawn its troops following the order and rebase them in neighboring Niger to continue its operation in the Sahel region.
