Following the accusations made against France by the Malian junta on Monday 15 August, Paris has stepped up to the plate to provide its share of the truth. The Hexagon condemns the multiplication of information manipulation in the country of Assimi Goîta.

“France has obviously never supported, directly or indirectly, the terrorist groups present in Mali, neither al-Qaeda nor the Islamic State group. This is the reply given by the French ambassador to Bamako to Mali’s accusations against the Hexagon. Indeed, the Malian transitional government, under military and terrorist pressure, has accused France of being the supplier of information and weapons to the jihadists. The head of Malian diplomacy, Abdoulaye Diop, sent a letter to the UN Security Council earlier this week. The letter calls for an urgent sitting of the UN governing body to rule on these accusations so that France can “immediately cease its acts of aggression”.

On the other hand, Paris, denying any defamation, denounces the intoxication of Bamako, which leads one to believe that the military authorities do not care about the fight against terrorism. “We condemn the increasing manipulation of information, which should in no way divert attention from the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the country, of which the people are the first victims,” said the deputy spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, François Delmas.

Instead, France reaffirms its support for states and says it will not give up the fight against jihadist groups like all other victim countries. “France will relentlessly pursue the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa, in support of the political, civil and military efforts of ECOWAS and the states of the region, and in full coordination with its committed European and American partners,” French Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman François Delmas told a press briefing.

Charbel Ahouandjinou (stag)