Mali accuses France of aggression

Mali on Tuesday accused its former colonial masters, France, of carrying out “duplicitous acts of aggression aimed at destabilizing the troubled country West African nation.

The Malian Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, who spoke at the United Nations Security Council meeting held at The Hague, reiterated earlier allegations by the military government in August where it said French aircraft had invaded the country’s airspace.

The military junta claimed that France was providing material to criminal groups destabilizing the civilian population.

Diop called for a special Security Council meeting to bring to light evidence regarding duplicitous acts, acts of espionage, and acts of destabilization waged by France against Mali.

He said: “Mali reserves the right to exercise its right to self-defense. France continues to undermine the sovereignty of our country and to undermine its territorial integrity and its national security.”

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But France’s Ambassador to the UN, Nicolas De Riviere, immediately dismissed the accusations, describing them as “mendacious” and “defamatory.”

Riviere said France had never violated Malian airspace at anytime.

The envoy added that he wanted “to re-establish the truth after the mendacious accusations and defamatory accusations from the Malian transitional government.”

“Despite Mali’s grave, unfounded allegations and its unilateral, unjustified denunciation in May of the 2013 agreement that brought French troops to the country, France will remain engaged in the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Lake Chad region alongside all reasonable states who have taken the choice to counter-terrorism and to respect stability and peaceful coexistence among communities,” De Riviere said.

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