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Showing posts from August 10, 2024

Sweden's Ambassador Ordered to Leave Mali

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Sweden's ambassador to Mali, Kristina Kuhnel, has been ordered to leave the country within 72 hours . This decision, announced by Mali's foreign ministry, stems from what it termed a "hostile" statement made by Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade, Johan Forssell.  Forssell recently declared that Sweden would  phase out its aid to Mali , a move that has been interpreted as a direct criticism of Mali's growing ties with Russia amid ongoing geopolitical shifts in the Sahel region. This diplomatic spat is not an isolated incident but part of a broader trend where military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are increasingly distancing themselves from traditional Western allies, particularly France and the United States, and are instead forging closer relationships with Russia. This shift has been marked by a series of expulsions of foreign diplomats and a growing anti-Western sentiment within these nations. The consequence