PARIS/DAKAR: France has suspended counter-terrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two staff members of the Malian embassy and consulate to leave, French sources said, with another source with knowledge of the matter saying the move came after Bamako’s arrest of a French intelligence agent in August.
A spokesperson for Mali’s foreign ministry declined to comment.
The move further exacerbates tensions between Paris and the West African country, after Mali’s military-led government severed military ties with France and turned to Russia for support in fighting Islamist militants.
The man was arrested in August, along with two Malian generals, and accused of participating in a plot to destabilize Mali. A foreign official working on Mali said he was a former French military officer working on terrorism issues.
A source with knowledge of the matter said he was an intelligence agent.
The French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In August it said he was a member of the embassy in Bamako and Mali’s accusations against him were unfounded.
Four sources, including a diplomatic source, confirmed the suspension of counter-terrorism cooperation.
Two staff members from the Malian embassy and consulate in Paris have been declared persona non grata, while Mali declared five French embassy staff members persona non grata, the French diplomatic source added.
Islamist insurgencies in the north and political instability have fueled more than a decade of turmoil in Mali, eventually leading to a series of coups in 2020 and 2021 that brought a military-led government to power.
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France suspends counter-terrorism efforts with Mali over arrest, sources say
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France suspends counter-terrorism efforts with Mali over arrest, sources say
- The man was arrested in August, along with two Malian generals, and accused of participating in a plot to destabilize Mali
- A foreign official working on Mali said he was a former French military officer working on terrorism issues
Five miners trapped deep underground after mudslide hits South African diamond mine
- The miners have been trapped since the early hours of Tuesday, according to a labor alliance
- The mine is in the central city of Kimberley, which is renowned for its diamond mines
JOHANNESBURG: Five miners were trapped deep underground at a South African diamond mine after a mudslide flooded a shaft they were working in, mine officials and a labor union said Thursday.
The miners have been trapped since the early hours of Tuesday, according to the Congress of South African Trade Unions — an alliance of labor unions that includes the main mineworkers union. The congress said the miners were thought to be trapped around 800 meters (half a mile) underground.
Ekapa Mining General Manager Howard Marsden, whose company operates the mine, told national broadcaster SABC on Wednesday that rescuers were pumping water out of the shaft while a separate team was trying to drill a hole to where the miners were believed to be trapped to try to establish communication with them “or any proof of life.”
The mine is in the central city of Kimberley, which is renowned for its diamond mines and was at the heart of the global industry after diamonds were discovered in the area in the late 1800s.
The Minerals Council of South Africa said this month in its annual safety report that 41 miners died in mining accidents in South Africa last year, a record low and down from hundreds a year in the 1990s and early 2000s.
South Africa is among the world’s biggest producers of diamonds and gold, and the top producer of platinum.
The miners have been trapped since the early hours of Tuesday, according to the Congress of South African Trade Unions — an alliance of labor unions that includes the main mineworkers union. The congress said the miners were thought to be trapped around 800 meters (half a mile) underground.
Ekapa Mining General Manager Howard Marsden, whose company operates the mine, told national broadcaster SABC on Wednesday that rescuers were pumping water out of the shaft while a separate team was trying to drill a hole to where the miners were believed to be trapped to try to establish communication with them “or any proof of life.”
The mine is in the central city of Kimberley, which is renowned for its diamond mines and was at the heart of the global industry after diamonds were discovered in the area in the late 1800s.
The Minerals Council of South Africa said this month in its annual safety report that 41 miners died in mining accidents in South Africa last year, a record low and down from hundreds a year in the 1990s and early 2000s.
South Africa is among the world’s biggest producers of diamonds and gold, and the top producer of platinum.
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