Denmark closes embassies in Mali, Burkina Faso
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In light of the closure, Denmark will appoint a special representative for the African Great Lakes and Sahel region.
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Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen talks to journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. (AP)
Denmark is shutting down its embassies in each of Mali and Burkina Faso as part of its newly established Africa strategy, citing the "severely limited scope for action in the Sahel region" as a result of the military coups that recently overtook both nations as the reason.
Instead, Denmark plans on opening embassies in Senegal, Rwanda, and Tunisia and reinforcing its diplomatic staff in its Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana embassies.
A special representative will also be deployed for the African Great Lakes and Sahel region.
This comes as Denmark and the European Union seek to become Africa's "preferred partner" amid a series of events pushing it into "orienting to the East or West," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen explained.
"We have a clear interest in the African countries looking towards us in Europe as they chart the course for their future," he said, adding that the alleged Russian and Chinese influence in the continent should be countered with a compelling European alternative.
Denmark's new strategy will majorly focus on expediting trade and establishing water-based projects.
Reportedly, the European country plans on providing up to a billion kroner [$150 million] for bilateral water initiatives, allocating 425 million kroner for 2025 alone.
This comes as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger establish their own confederation and depart the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the bloc of being manipulated by former colonial ruler France, with Niger's Abdourahamane Tchiani calling for the new bloc to become a "community far removed from the stranglehold of foreign powers."
"Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS," stated Tchiani to his fellow Sahel leaders.
