Denmark will close its embassies in Burkina Faso and Mali due to the military coups that have taken place in these countries, the Danish Foreign Ministry announced.
"As a consequence of a severely limited room for action in the Sahel region after a series of military coups in recent years, the embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso are closed," the Danish Foreign Ministry's statement said.
As stated by the head of the Danish Foreign Ministry, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark intends to show African countries that Europe can offer an attractive alternative to the growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.
According to him, the country will work to ensure that more young Africans can study in Denmark.
On May 24, 2021, Mali's military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and transferred them to the Kati army base near the capital, Bamako. Vice President Assimi Goita then announced that he had relieved the president and prime minister of their duties for violating the transitional charter.
A military council led by Goita took over power and announced its intention to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2022, but the authorities then decided to postpone the elections for security reasons.
In late September 2022, media reported that a group of military officers in Burkina Faso led by Captain Ibrahim Traore announced the removal of the head of the country's transitional government, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the suspension of the constitution, and the dissolution of the government.
In late January 2024, the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger decided to leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which had not supported the forces that had come to power in these countries as a result of the coups.
In May, the foreign ministers of these countries agreed on the final wording for the creation of a new interstate entity in Africa. On July 6, the leaders of these African states signed a document on the creation of the confederation, "Alliance of Sahel States."