The military authorities of Mali have decided to expel the ambassador of France in a new escalation of tensions between Bamako and Paris, the state television of that West African country reported today.
In a statement read on television, it is stated that the government of Mali informs the domestic and international public that the French ambassador in Bamako, Joel Meyer, has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where he was informed of the government's decision that he should leave the country within 72 hours.
The authorities justified the decision with the recent "hostile" statements of a French diplomat towards them.
The decision marks a new escalation of tensions between Mali and France, a former colonial power that has been engaged in Mali and the Sahel since 2013 in the fight against extremists.
Relations have deteriorated steadily since the colonels seized power by force in August 2020 in a country that has been in a deep security and political crisis since 2012.
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