Closure of Danish embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso

Report Mehr News Agency, citing Le Monde, Denmark announced the closure of its embassies in the two African countries of Mali and Burkina Faso.

The Danish Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it will close its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso as part of its new Africa strategy. According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, military coups in African countries have severely limited the scope of action in this region.

The Danish Foreign Ministry also announced that it will open new embassies in Senegal, Tunisia and Rwanda. Denmark will also increase the staff of its embassies in Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, and appoint a special representative for Africa and the Sahel region.

Mali and Burkina Faso have turned to Russia for support after the military coup in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Financial relations with European countries have been deteriorating recently. Earlier this month, after a Swedish official criticized Russia’s financial support, the government of Mali ordered the Swedish ambassador to leave the country.