Image copyright AFP Image caption Mali warned airlines to check the documents of people being deported

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".

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".

It also warned airlines not to let people using the document fly to Mali.

The French authorities have not yet commented.

Malians are among the sub-Saharan African nationalities most deported from France:

Senegal - 540

Mali - 290

Ivory Coast - 270

Nigeria - 235

Guinea - 165

Source: Eurostat, 2015

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.

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 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''.

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.

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.

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.</s>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-passez", not passports or other Malian papers, the government said.

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.

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.
• Why is EU struggling with migrants and asylum?

There is a large Malian community in France, the former colonial power, which supports their relatives back home by sending money.

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.

Mali has denied that it agreed to enable the return from Europe of Malian migrants as part of a deal that was heralded in December by senior European diplomats as the first of its kind.

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.</s>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”.

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”.

It also warned airlines not to let people using the document fly to Mali.

The French authorities have not yet commented.

Malians are among the sub-Saharan African nationalities most deported from France:

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.

Many pass through Mali on their way although Malians are not among the 10 nationalities most likely to attempt the journey.

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.</s>The pair were flown to Bamako using European travel permits or "laissez-passez", not passports or other Malian papers, the government said.

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.

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.

The French authorities have not yet commented.

Malians are among the sub-Saharan African nationalities most deported from France:

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.

Many pass through Mali on their way although Malians are not among the 10 nationalities most likely to attempt the journey.</s>GAO, Mali (AP) — Authorities in Mali have returned two people to France after French authorities apparently deported them to this West African country without proof of their nationality.

Government spokesman Djeneba Deme said Friday the passengers' nationality was not immediately known and that they were flying only with a travel document issued by the European Union.

The incident comes amid tensions between the EU and African countries over the repatriation of illegal migrants. An untold number of West Africans attempt the dangerous passage to Europe by desert and sea each year in hope of a better life.

A Mali government statement says the country will not accept any visitors presumed to be Malian without a passport or Mali-issued travel documents.

French officials declined to comment, saying they were unaware of the case.</s>Mali sends back two people deported from France on the same plane they came on....
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Mali returns two people France deported on the same planes they arrived on.