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-passez", not passports or other Malian papers, the government said. A Mali government statement says the country will not accept any visitors presumed to be Malian without a passport or Mali-issued travel documents. 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. 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. 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.
Mali returns two people France deported on the same planes they arrived on.