MALI has asked France for a review of bilateral defence accords against the backdrop of growing tensions between Paris and the ruling junta in Bamako, a French diplomat said Monday.
The diplomat told AFP that France was “examining” the request, without detailing its contents.
Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga on Saturday said on state television that the accords were “unbalanced”, remarking that Mali “cannot even overfly its territory without France’s permission”.
Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop later said that Bamako had submitted suggested amendments to Paris.
A military operation launched by France in January 2013 to fight jihadists in Mali – first called Serval, then Barkhane – falls under the bilateral accord reached in March 2013.
Meanwhile bilateral relations have been strained over the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group in Mali and French moves to reorganise its military presence in the country.
France has thousands of troops
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