Mali accuses France of arming terrorists

Bamako: Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has accused France of arming terrorists and called for the UN Security Council to intervene, in a letter obtained by state-run French radio RFI.
Ties between France and its former colony in western Africa soured after Malian military took over power in 2020. France ended its military presence in Mali on Monday.
Diop reportedly said in a letter to the UNSC that Mali’s colonial master had repeatedly violated its airspace to spy on Malian armed forces and airdrop weapons and munitions to “terrorist groups.”
French drones, helicopters and fighter jets entered Malian airspace some 50 times since January without the permission of the Malian transitional government, the diplomat said.
This comes several days after Mali accused the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara of killing 42 people in an attack on the town of Tessit. It said “recording of clandestine overflight operations clearly shows that terrorists benefited from major support, including external expertise.” (UNI)