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Denmark will close its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso, where the military is in power, and open embassies in Senegal, Rwanda and Tunisia, the country’s foreign minister announced on Monday.
“The embassies in Burkina Faso and Mali will be closed as the military coups severely limit the possibilities for action in the Sahel region,” the Danish diplomatic service wrote in a press release. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are all ruled by military regimes that have turned their backs on former colonial power France and moved closer to Russia. The military seized power by force in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2020 and 2022, respectively. The decision comes against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Mali and European countries, with the Malian military government recently ordering the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador to Bamako. Sweden must close its embassy by the end of the year.
In its new Africa strategy, Denmark will open embassies in Senegal, Tunisia and Rwanda “as part of Denmark’s new strategy of engagement with African countries”. Denmark already has an office in Rwanda, which must be upgraded to an embassy. The Scandinavian country intends to strengthen the diplomatic staff and resources of its embassies in Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. By 2026, the number of staff in existing embassies will increase by 10 compared to now. In addition, he intends to appoint a special representative for Great Lakes and Sahel issues. “Our goal is to be present where it makes sense, where we see potential and where we have clear Danish interests,” Foreign Minister Rasmussen told the media.
The new strategy focuses particularly on the water sector. In the coming years, Denmark plans to invest more than 1 billion kroner (134 million euros) in aiding new bilateral initiatives in this area. In 2025 alone, an envelope of 425 million kroner must be invested for this purpose. Among other areas of the plan, Denmark focuses on immigration, security and cultural exchange.
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