French national gets 20 years in Mali over alleged destabilisation plot

A French national accused by Mali’s military-led government of involvement in a plot to destabilise the country last year has been sentenced to 20 years

in prison, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a case that has strained ties between Bamako and Paris.



Yann Vezilier is expected to serve his sentence in Mali following a conviction handed down late on Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.



Mali’s government announced the arrest of Vezilier last August, along with two Malian generals, accusing him of acting on behalf of French intelligence services to mobilise political actors, civil society figures and military officers against Assimi Goita's government.