DAKAR, Aug. 2 (DPA/EP) –
The Malian government has banned the presence of foreign troops in a section of the airport in the capital, Bamako, which houses a UN base, so all soldiers must leave the facilities within 72 hours.
The Transport Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the ban covers the “reception and accommodation” of foreign soldiers, referring specifically to the company Sahel Aviation Service, which provides such services to foreign forces in a specific area of the airport.
Mali is led by Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of the coup military junta, which led the coup against Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020 and subsequently led a second coup in May 2021 against the transitional authorities of Mali –moment in which he overthrew the president and the prime minister, Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane–, seizing power.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Mali after the postponement of the elections scheduled for February and proposed a period of between 12 to 18 months for the Malian coup plotters to hand over power to civilian authorities through new elections, although the board recently announced a two-year extension of the transition period.
Faced with the deteriorating situation, the US State Department last week ordered its non-essential employees in Mali to leave the African country due to “the increased risk of terrorist attacks in areas frequented by Westerners.”
Western powers have been reassessing their commitments to Mali amid hostility from military rulers. France and other European countries recently withdrew troops involved in counterterrorism operations.
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