Financial Elbow Games: Lines of Defense

France believes that its military aircraft are completely free to enter Mali’s airspace, despite the latter closing its borders in response to West African sanctions.

As of Monday, the French Ministry of Arms noted that “we have a legal situation that allows us to trade and do a certain number of things and we have no doubt that the ECOWAS countries that closed their borders with Mali will allow military movements to continue.”

On Thursday, the French embassy in Bamako spoke of a “misunderstanding” in the face of the Malian government’s accusations of a “clear violation” of the country’s airspace.

In a letter dated Wednesday, the commander of the French force said bulwarkGeneral Laurent Michonne wrote to the Chief of the Financial Staff to remind him that French aircraft and vehicles enjoy “full freedom of movement” under existing agreements. there he is:

The Malian government on Wednesday denounced the “obvious violation” of national space the day before by an A400 of the French army on a round trip between Abidjan and Gao, an important French base in Mali. In a statement (read below), Bamako said it refused to accept any responsibility for “the risks to which the authors of these practices may be exposed.”