The expulsion of the French ambassador to Bamako announced by the junta in power increases the questions about the future of the French military presence in the country.
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Invective after Inverctive, Mali and France seems inevitably to go to break. Monday, January 31, the junta in power in Bamako has “invited” the ambassador of France, Joël Meyer, “to leave the national territory within seventy-two hours”, according to a statement read on state television. A measure that, according to the Malian authorities, “follows the hostile and outflowing words” held by the leader of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves le Drian, on January 27th.
While Bamako had just summed Denmark to withdraw his troops deployed within the European force “Takuba” (placed under French command), the latter had denounced on Radio RTL of “irresponsible measures” taken by a junta ” illegitimate “, distinguishing” the unacceptable confiscation “of power by the military, as well as their use of the mercenaries of the Russian group Wagner.
End 2021, the Malian authorities from a double putsch expressed their willingness to maintain another five years, then four, braving their initial promise to organize elections at the end of February 2022. A position judged “unacceptable” by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which placed Mali under territorial, economic and financial blockade, January 9th.
“Need a derivative”
Since then, the relations between Bamako and France, accused of being the instigator of these sanctions, have continued to tender. Request for revision of the Defense Agreement with France End 2021, withdrawal from the Danish forces of “Takuba”, restriction of overview conditions of international military aircraft in January 2022 … Transitional authorities multiply the acts “of Sovereignty “, thus thus thinning the cards of a game designed to weld behind a Malian people deemed more and more emphasized against the West and France.
After having publicly tangled Paris for its interference in the affairs of the country, the junta went from the verb to the gesture, on January 31, deciding to return the ambassador of France. “I took note of his decision,” said Joël Meyer, regretting that, despite the availability of Paris since the coup “of August 2020, there was no” desired manifestly on the part of the Malian authorities to discuss substantive issues under the bilateral relationship with France, both safe and political “.
It was thanked Monday, with half an hour, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop. If the leader of Malian diplomacy had said, on January 28, “nothing” excluding on the future of his relations with France, a diplomatic source points out that this brief meeting did not specify the intentions.
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