The junta in Mali has instructed the Swedish envoy to depart the country within 72 hours after a Swedish minister made a “hostile” statement regarding Malian support for Russia, as informed by the foreign ministry.
Mali summoned the Swedish envoy to Bamako and issued the directive in response to the “hostile declaration by her minister of international cooperation and trade about Mali,” according to the ministry’s announcement on
The Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell had accused Mali of receiving several hundreds of millions of Swedish developmental aid yet supporting Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
He added, “The government has thus chosen to gradually terminate the strategy of bilateral aid from Sweden to Mali by 2024.”
The Swedish foreign ministry said that the development cooperation funding allocated to the West African country for the 2021-2025 period totals $190 million.
Stockholm stated that its Bamako embassy closure process was already underway and was expected to be completed by the end of December 2024. A new one will be established in Dakar by 2025.
Mali and Niger, both under military rule since coups in 2020 and 2023, respectively, severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine. They have turned to Russia and its Wagner mercenary group for support after accusing Ukrainian forces of aiding insurgent groups.
Mali alleged that Kyiv provided intelligence to rebel troops, who used it in a battle resulting in casualties among the Wagner group and Malian soldiers last month.