The move followed the arrest of a French embassy staffer in Mali

France has ordered two Malian diplomats to leave the country and suspended its counterterrorism cooperation with Bamako, following the arrest in August of a French diplomat in the Sahel state, AFP reported on Friday.

According to a French diplomatic source cited by AFP, the two Malian officials - representing the embassy and consulate in Paris - have each been declared persona non grata and instructed to depart France by Saturday. 

The source also warned that "other measures" could follow if the detained French national is not released promptly.

The dispute stems from the August 15 arrest of a staff member at the French embassy in Bamako. Malian authorities accused Yann Vezilier of operating on behalf of French intelligence and of attempting to mobilize political, civil society, and military actors, including two generals, Abass Dembele and Nema Sagara, with the aim of "destabilizing" the Malian state.

According to Malian Security Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine, Vezilier was among a "small group of marginal elements" in the Malian army.

France has strongly denied the allegations. In remarks shared with AFP last month, Paris rejected the charges against Vezilier as "baseless" and confirmed that dialogue with Malian officials is ongoing in hope of "dispelling misunderstandings and securing the immediate release" of its staffer.

In August, Mali's Security Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine said an investigation was under way to identify "possible accomplices" in "subversive acts" against Bamako involving "foreign states," after the arrest of Vezilier and dozens of Malian soldiers.

Relations between France and Mali have sharply deteriorated in recent years. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) - formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger - has repeatedly accused France of seeking to sabotage the group by pressuring members to turn on each other.

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Niger's transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has alleged that French operatives are also working with rebel factions along border areas in neighboring Benin and Nigeria as part of a coordinated effort to destabilize his country and the wider Sahel.