Mali Pardons Alleged French Spy

Was Mali right to cut France loose over an alleged coup plot or is the junta dodging blame for its own failures?

Published 6 days ago

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Above: Assimi Goita in Moscow on June 23, 2025. Image credit: Pavel Bednyakov/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Mali's government made the right call by cutting France loose, since French spies got caught red-handed plotting a coup with army generals and soldiers to derail the country's transition and destabilize the government. Turning to Russia for security backup makes sense when France fuels instability and then denies the involvement of its own agents. Pardoning the spy while keeping the conviction on record shows strength and restraint.

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Government-critical narrative

France's rejection of spying claims deserves to be taken seriously, since Mali's junta has jailed a former prime minister for a social media post and dissolved every political party while elections keep getting postponed to 2030. Leaning on Russian mercenaries has not stopped jihadists from choking Bamako with fuel blockades and nearly seizing the capital. Blaming Paris for a security collapse the junta itself cannot fix is a convenient excuse.

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