Mali Accuses France of Arming Militants in Letter Sent to UN: Mali
, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop's 15 August letter, also seen by RFI, condemns violations of Mali's airspace.
Diop indicates that he has"several elements" proving that illegal incursions into Malian airspace have been"used by France to collect information for the benefit of terrorist groups" and to"drop them weapons and ammunition", writesThe letter speaks of some 50"repetitive and frequent violations of Malian airspace by French forces" since the start of 2022.
This proves that terrorists, or more specifically the Sahelian branch of the Islamic State Group, had benefited from"major support and external expertise," alleges Diop.This is not the first time Mali accused France of violating its airspace. In April, it levelled similar claims after bodies from a mass grave inMali asserted that French soldiers carried out these killings. France said that Mali and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group were responsible.
"In the event of the persistence of this posture which undermines the stability and security of our country, Mali reserves the right to use self defence," he said.
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