Mali junta revokes Air France flight permit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Aug 2023 23:30
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Malian authorities say Air France's suspension of operations to and from Mali breached the terms of its permit to operate the route.

People queuing at the office of Air France in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 26 January 2022 (AP)

Mali has revoked Air France's permit to fly between Paris and Bamako after the carrier suspended operations to and from the country over regional instability.

On Monday, Air France suspended flights to Mali and Burkina Faso after the airspace in neighboring Niger was closed by the coup leaders who seized power on July 26.

The measure was due to end on Friday, but the company extended it to August 18, citing the coup in Niger and the "geopolitical situation" in the Sahel region.

The Malian authorities said the suspension breached the terms of its permit to operate the route.

In a letter addressed to Air France, the National Civil Aviation Agency said the company had not provided notice and caused "inconvenience to passengers."

"This failing entails the cancellation of your flight operating permit" for the summer season extending to October and other airlines could use the route, it added.

The agency asked Air France to submit a new flight program before it could resume the service.

Relations between Mali and former colonial power France have soured since a junta seized control in the West African country in 2020.

Facing anti-French sentiment, Paris last year was forced by Mali's junta to pull its troops out. The two countries suspended issuing visas to each other's citizens earlier this week.

Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in #Africa in the past year, as African nations try to destroy the shackles enforced by the colonial past of #France. pic.twitter.com/bJ2oHNnDsN
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 5, 2023

This comes as Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday that ECOWAS has approved a military attack on Niger "as soon as possible" to remove the new leadership and restore Western-backed Bazoum.

ECOWAS had previously given the coup leadership in Niger a one-week deadline - which ended last Sunday - to surrender to the bloc's terms or else face a military operation. The delayed action came amid reports of a number of internal hurdles within the countries of the West African bodies - most notably the Senate opposition in Nigeria.

On Tuesday, the Western-backed ECOWAS announced that it has the capacity to deploy 25,000 troops in order to invade Niger and reinstate Bazoum back in power.

The military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso have previously warned that any military intervention against Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them.