Bamako has expelled the Swedish ambassador to leave the country over comments made by a minister on the Mali’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine.
The Swedish ambassador to Bamako, Kristina Kuhnel, has been declared persona non grata by the Malian authorities and has 72 hours to leave the country. This decision, notified by the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is justified by remarks deemed hostile to Mali by the Swedish Minister for International Cooperation and Foreign Trade.
On Wednesday, Johan Forssell announced that Sweden would end its development aid strategy in Mali in 2024. Sweden had previously decided to close its embassies in Bamako and Ouagadougou due to the deteriorating security situation in these countries, while maintaining its commitment in the Sahel and West Africa. These closures should be effective by the end of 2024, while a new embassy will be opened in Dakar in 2025, in consultation with Senegal.
Minister Forssell said on Twitter that it is impossible to support Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine while continuing to receive millions of Swedish kronor in development aid. Currently, Sweden’s development cooperation strategy with Mali is funded to the tune of $190 million for the period 2021-2025, of which $185.1 million via the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and $4.7 million for the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA).
This decision comes after Mali broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing Kiev of supporting the CSP rebels during clashes with the Malian armed forces at the end of July. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrey Yusov confirmed that Ukraine had provided information to the rebels, but later denied this in an
interview with the Financial Times. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said that Ukraine does not oppose any country other than Russia.
Following this diplomatic rupture, Mali launched an investigation via its counter-terrorism prosecutor on charges of terrorism, conspiracy and financing of terrorism.
In a show of solidarity with Mali, Niger also broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, which Minister Kuleba denounced as an attempt to isolate Kiev.
AC/Sf/fss/as/APA