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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Mali sends back migrants deported by France | Mali sends back migrants deported by France |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Mali has sent back two people who were deported from France on the same planes they arrived on, questioning whether they were even Malian citizens. | Mali has sent back two people who were deported from France on the same planes they arrived on, questioning whether they were even Malian citizens. |
| The pair were flown to Bamako using European travel permits or "laissez-passer", not passports or other Malian papers, the government said. | |
| The government said it could not accept people "simply assumed to be Malian". | The government said it could not accept people "simply assumed to be Malian". |
| Recent reports of a deal with the EU to repatriate failed Malian asylum seekers have sparked protests. | Recent reports of a deal with the EU to repatriate failed Malian asylum seekers have sparked protests. |
| In a statement, the Malian government condemned the use of the European "laissez-passez" in cases of expulsion, describing it as "against international conventions". | In a statement, the Malian government condemned the use of the European "laissez-passez" in cases of expulsion, describing it as "against international conventions". |
| It also warned airlines not to let people using the document fly to Mali. | It also warned airlines not to let people using the document fly to Mali. |
| The French authorities have not yet commented. | The French authorities have not yet commented. |
| Malians are among the sub-Saharan African nationalities most deported from France: | Malians are among the sub-Saharan African nationalities most deported from France: |
| Source: Eurostat, 2015 | Source: Eurostat, 2015 |
| Migrant deal bites back: By Alex Duval Smith, BBC News, Abidjan | Migrant deal bites back: By Alex Duval Smith, BBC News, Abidjan |
| Mali's refusal to admit the two migrants comes as Bamako is under fire at home for having signed a ''migrant return agreement'' with the European Union. | Mali's refusal to admit the two migrants comes as Bamako is under fire at home for having signed a ''migrant return agreement'' with the European Union. |
| Many Malians claim the government has betrayed them by accepting €145m ($153m; £124m) for ''measures to deter migration''. | Many Malians claim the government has betrayed them by accepting €145m ($153m; £124m) for ''measures to deter migration''. |
| The deal, announced on 11 December, was the first of its kind between the EU and an African country. | The deal, announced on 11 December, was the first of its kind between the EU and an African country. |
| The Malian anti-corruption group "mains propres'' (clean hands) says the authorities in Bamako were tricked by Brussels, whose own rules require such an agreement before mass expulsions can be triggered.. | The Malian anti-corruption group "mains propres'' (clean hands) says the authorities in Bamako were tricked by Brussels, whose own rules require such an agreement before mass expulsions can be triggered.. |
| Bamako and Brussels are now both playing the deal down as ''an agreement with a small A'' or ''a communique on deepening migration partnership''. | Bamako and Brussels are now both playing the deal down as ''an agreement with a small A'' or ''a communique on deepening migration partnership''. |
| The EU has since signed a similar document with Niger, which is another major departure country for migrants heading through the Sahara desert on their way to Europe. | The EU has since signed a similar document with Niger, which is another major departure country for migrants heading through the Sahara desert on their way to Europe. |
| There is a large Malian community in France, the former colonial power, who support their relatives back home by sending money. | There is a large Malian community in France, the former colonial power, who support their relatives back home by sending money. |
| More than 360,000 people have reached Europe by crossing the Mediterranean this year. | More than 360,000 people have reached Europe by crossing the Mediterranean this year. |
| Many pass through Mali on their way although Malians are not among the 10 nationalities most likely to attempt the journey. | Many pass through Mali on their way although Malians are not among the 10 nationalities most likely to attempt the journey. |
| More about the migrant crisis: | More about the migrant crisis: |
| A $1.9bn (£1.2bn) European Union-backed fund to tackle African migration was announced in November 2015, with African leaders agreeing to allow the return of failed asylum seekers in return for development aid. | A $1.9bn (£1.2bn) European Union-backed fund to tackle African migration was announced in November 2015, with African leaders agreeing to allow the return of failed asylum seekers in return for development aid. |