A special court in Mali has found a French embassy employee guilty of threatening national security, which has further damaged the relationship between Bamako and Paris.

馬利的一家特別法院裁定一名法國大使館雇員犯有威脅國家安全罪，這進一步損害了巴馬科與巴黎之間的關係。

The trial was held in private by a special anti-terrorism court, which resulted in a twenty-year prison sentence for the defendant, Yann V. Additionally, the court ordered him to pay a fine of $6,225 and banned him from returning to Mali for twenty years. The defendant was arrested on August 13 alongside Malian military officers. These officers were accused of planning to overthrow the current military government, although they have not been tried in court yet.

該審判由一家特別反恐法院秘密進行，結果被告 Yann V 被判處二十年徒刑。此外，法院命令他支付 6,225 美元的罰金，並禁止其在二十年內返回馬利。被告於 8 月 13 日與馬利軍方官員一同被捕。這些官員被指控計劃推翻現任軍政府，儘管他們尚未在法院受審。

From a political perspective, this conviction happens while the military government, led by Assimi Goita, is changing its international strategy. Since the 2021 coup, Mali has moved away from Western partners, especially France, and has instead developed a closer relationship with Russia. This includes using Russian mercenaries for national security. This shift occurs while Mali continues to face a security crisis caused by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as the recent loss of the city of Kidal to rebels.

從政治角度來看，這次定罪發生在由 Assimi Goita 領導的軍政府改變其國際戰略之際。自 2021 年政變以來，馬利已逐漸遠離西方夥伴，尤其是法國，轉而與俄羅斯發展更密切的關係。這包括利用俄羅斯僱傭兵維護國家安全。此次轉向發生在馬利持續面臨由基地組織和伊斯蘭國相關團體引起的安全危機，以及近期基達爾市被叛軍佔領之際。

In response to the verdict, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has challenged the legality of the trial. The French government emphasized that the accusations are baseless and asserted that the official was performing a legal security mission. Consequently, France has already stopped counter-terrorism cooperation and expelled two Malian diplomats.

針對該裁決，法國外交部對審判的合法性提出質疑。法國政府強調相關指控毫無根據，並堅稱該名官員當時是在執行合法的安全任務。因此，法國已經停止反恐合作，並驅逐了兩名馬利外交官。

The sentencing of the French official represents a serious increase in the diplomatic tension between the Malian military government and France.

對該名法國官員的判刑，代表馬利軍政府與法國之間的外交緊張局勢嚴重升級。