Mali Coup Plot: French Spy, Two Generals Arrested as Military Junta Faces Internal Rebellion

Mali Under Siege: Coup Plot Exposes Deepening Cracks in Goïta’s Rule

An internal rebellion has jolted Mali’s junta, with authorities announcing the arrest of dozens of soldiers—including two senior generals—and a French national accused of aiding an attempt to overthrow the transitional government. Security Minister Gen. Daoud Aly Mohammedine confirmed the arrests on August 14, 2025, underscoring widening fractures within the military hierarchy and raising urgent questions about stability in a strategically vital Sahel state.

Anatomy of a Failed Plot

Officials say the conspiracy began on August 1 and involved “marginal elements” within the security forces working with foreign operatives to “destabilize the institutions of the Republic.” Those detained include Gen. Abass Dembélé, former governor of Mopti, and Gen. Néma Sagara, one of Africa’s most senior female officers. State television broadcast photos of eleven alleged conspirators, signaling the regime’s determination to project control amid mounting internal pressures.

The French Connection

The most sensitive allegation concerns Yann Christian Bernard Vezilier, a French national whom authorities accuse of acting “on behalf of the French intelligence service” to mobilize political, civil society, and military actors against the government. France has not commented publicly, but the claim intensifies already fraught relations after Bamako expelled French forces and pivoted toward Russian military partners.

Gen. Abass Dembélé: Pedigree and Falling Out

Trained in France and the United States with a focus on counterterrorism, Dembélé is the son of a former chancellor of Mali’s National Order and gained prominence during the 2012 Tuareg rebellion. He led volunteer commandos and special forces in Konna, where Malian and French troops repelled an Islamist attack. 

A 2015 graduate of France’s École de Guerre, he commanded the Timbuktu region from 2017 to 2019. He arrested coup leader Amadou Sanogo in 2012 and received the National Order of Mali in 2014. Dembélé’s removal as Mopti governor in May 2025 came after he called for an investigation into alleged military killings of civilians in Diafarabé—an action that seemed to put him at odds with the current leadership.

Gen. Néma Sagara: Barrier-Breaking Officer Now Under Arrest

Sagara began her military education in 1986 and has served in Mali, France, and the United States, including with the UN Mission in Liberia (2004–2005) and as a faculty member at the Alioune Blondin Beye peacekeeping school. During the 2013 northern conflict, she was the second-ranking officer in Gao and led “militaro-civilian” initiatives to rebuild trust with local communities. Her arrest removes one of the few prominent female voices in Mali’s command structure and signals that seniority and symbolic importance offer little protection in the current climate.

A Decade of Upheaval

The junta led by Gen. Assimi Goïta emerged from coups in August 2020 and May 2021, which followed mass protests over corruption, economic hardship, and spiraling jihadist violence. After serving as interim vice president under Bah Ndaw, Goïta seized power again in May 2021, was declared interim president by the constitutional court, and has since postponed promised elections.

Geopolitical Realignment and Rising Tensions with France

Mali’s rupture with France—its former colonial power—has been swift. French counterterrorism forces were expelled, and Bamako turned to Russian contractors, including Wagner and its successor formations. The alleged involvement of a French operative in the latest plot feeds a narrative of foreign interference that the junta has used to justify tighter controls.

Economy Under Strain

Inflation reached 8.3% in February 2025, the highest in WAEMU, driven by rising food, housing, energy, and communication costs. An import-dependent economy, Mali is highly exposed to global shocks. Public debt stood near 55.9% of GDP at end-2023, with external liabilities roughly 25.9% of that total. Power outages since August 2023 have sapped industrial output and informal activity. New taxes on calls and mobile money have proven unpopular and risk fueling broader dissent.

Security Deterioration

Despite the junta’s security-first mandate, civilian targeting rose 38% in 2023, with JNIM, IS Sahel, and state forces working alongside Russian contractors implicated. In September 2024, JNIM staged simultaneous strikes on a gendarmerie school and Bamako’s military airport, killing more than 70 security personnel and destroying the presidential plane—the first attack on the capital since 2015—highlighting escalating capabilities and state vulnerabilities. Humanitarian needs remain acute: more than 575,000 people are displaced, and roughly 40% of territory remains under separatist or jihadist control.

Expert Readouts

Analysts view the arrests as signs of a regime losing its grip. Rida Lyammouri argues the detentions look more like intimidation than a credible coup attempt, consistent with an established pattern of moves against journalists, civil society, political leaders, and now senior officers. Beverly Ochieng underscores widening rifts, noting that several red lines have recently been crossed and that many detainees reportedly come from the national guard led by Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Camara, who is increasingly seen as a rival to Goïta. Others warn that sweeping suspensions of political life violate basic freedoms and risk deepening instability.

Democratic Rollback

In May 2025, authorities dissolved all political parties and suspended political activity “until further notice,” prompting rare pro-democracy protests in Bamako before a ban on gatherings. In June, the transitional legislature granted Goïta a renewable five-year term, abandoning earlier commitments to elections. Former prime ministers Choguel Kokalla Maïga and Moussa Mara have been detained amid a broader campaign against critics and former officials.

Regional Stakes and ECOWAS

Mali’s January 2024 withdrawal from ECOWAS—alongside Niger and Burkina Faso—has weakened the bloc’s leverage and accelerated the rise of the Alliance of Sahel States. Past sanctions failed to restore constitutional rule and may have bolstered anti-Western narratives. Some observers note, however, that Mali’s political class has shown unusual resilience and public defiance compared with neighbors—resistance that could grow if repression continues.

What Comes Next

• Intensified repression: The junta is likely to cite the alleged plot to justify further arrests across the military, political class, and civil society, including additional senior officers.
• Security slippage: Internal rivalries may distract command attention, creating openings for JNIM and other armed groups to expand operations and strike symbolic targets.
• Economic pressure: Elevated inflation, power shortages, and unpopular taxes could trigger wider social unrest if governance priorities remain focused on regime survival.
• International isolation: The alleged French operative’s arrest will complicate relations with Western partners and test efforts to diversify ties beyond Russia; new partnerships have yet to yield tangible security or economic gains.
• Military fragmentation: Visible fissures raise the risk of competing centers of power within the armed forces, with scenarios ranging from elite purges to open confrontation.

A political opening remains possible if social and economic pressures outpace coercive capacity. Civil society’s persistence and elite dissent could force negotiations with opposition figures and external partners. For Mali and the wider Sahel, the stakes are high: failure to reverse authoritarian consolidation and deliver security risks entrenching a cycle of instability with consequences far beyond national borders.