A Malian court has sentenced a French embassy official to 20 years in prison on charges of espionage and undermining state security, judicial sources revealed on Friday.

The conviction further strains relations between the West African nation—governed by a military junta since the 2021 coup—and its former colonial power, France.

The French national, detained since his arrest in August 2025, was also fined €5,400 and banned from entering Mali for two decades, according to multiple judicial sources.

At the time of his arrest, Malian authorities accused the diplomat, identified as Yann V., of working for French intelligence services and condemned foreign entities attempting to destabilize the country amid ongoing insurgencies.

The arrest occurred on August 13 alongside several Malian officers allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow the junta.

France has vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that the charges against its official—who served at the French embassy in Bamako—are baseless.

“Our agent is facing unfounded legal proceedings,” a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday. “This individual was engaged in a legitimate security cooperation mission and France has played no direct or indirect role in destabilizing Mali.”

Mali has grappled with a severe security crisis since 2012, driven by violence from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as local criminal gangs.

Since assuming power, junta leader Assimi Goïta has pivoted away from Western partners, especially France, in favor of deepening relations with Russia.

Like neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali is now led by military juntas that seized power in recent years, promising to restore security to their populations.

Analysts report, however, that the security situation in the Sahel has worsened under military rule, with record-high numbers of attacks and civilian casualties attributed to both jihadist groups and government forces.