72 hours is the deadline given by the Malian authorities to the French ambassador Joël Meyer to leave the country. This decision follows recent statements by the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves le Drian, which they consider “unacceptable”.
The transitional government has decided to expel the French ambassador Joël Meyer this Monday, January 31, 2022. He had been summoned to the Malian Foreign Ministry by Abdoulaye Diop mid-day. Relations between France and Mali have been strained since the takeover of power by the army in Bamako in August 2020 and the appointment of Assimi Goïta as transitional president of Mali by the Constitutional Court.
“The Government of the Republic of Mali informs national and international opinion that today (…) the Ambassador of France to Bamako, His Excellency Joël Meyer, has been summoned by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (and) has been notified of the decision of the Government inviting him to leave the national territory within 72 hours“, according to a statement read on state television.
Since January 2022, tensions have risen with the adoption by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of a battery of severe sanctions, including the closure of the borders with Mali within the sub-African area.the suspension of trade other than basic necessities, decided on 9 January in Accra, Ghana.
