The military regime in Mali has ordered the Swedish ambassador in Bamako to leave the country within 72 hours.
Mali’s foreign ministry cited a “hostile” statement by a Swedish minister as the reason for the expulsion.
On Wednesday, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade, Johan Forssell, announced that the government had decided to phase out aid to the country.
According to Reuters, the Swedish foreign ministry has not yet provided any comment.
Mali, along with its neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, has strengthened ties with Russia since military leaders assumed power in these countries.
These nations have also been at odds with their former colonial power, France, as well as regional heavyweight Nigeria, ECOWAS, and the United States.
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In 2022, Mali similarly expelled the French ambassador, giving him 72 hours to leave, following what the government described as outrageous comments by the French foreign minister about the transitional government.
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