After drone spying row, Mali to exit defence pact with France
A French force armoured vehicle in Africa's Sahel region at the roadside crossing in Gossi
After Mali accused the French Army of spying using drones to film a military base, France alleged mercenaries were burying bodies in it as the junta said France did not have a "legal basis" for carrying out military operations in the country.
The country's foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop said it will be ending the 2014 defence cooperation agreement with France.
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"So, as of May 2, the agreement covering Barkhane and the agreement covering Takuba cease taking an effect with regard to Mali which means that as of this moment, there is no legal basis for France to operate on Malian soil," Diop said.
France had deployed fighter planes and drones Barkhane operation as allies fought the jihadists. However, relations between France and Bamako began to slide after a coup as officers seized power in 2020 while topplingMali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
France had earlier decided to pull out troops from Mali including a special forces unit. France however said Mali's decision on ending the military cooperation agreement was"unjustified".
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The junta had earlier accussed the French forces of "illegally" flying a drone over Gossi base as French forces handed it back to Mali.
France later claimed Russian mercenaries were covering bodies to accuse the French of war crimes as Mali's military ordered an inquiry into mass graves found at the Gossi base.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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