Denmark is keeping a watchful eye on developments in Mali after President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was detained by rebel soldiers yesterday.
Keita has since stepped down as president and the Danish foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, has stated that he hoped for a peaceful resolution to the turmoil.
“Currently, the motives for the mutiny remains unclear, but we are following the situation closely with our embassy in Bamako and co/operation partners in the countries, including the EU, UN and ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States],” Kofod said according to BT.
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Dire straits indeed
Kofod’s concern also pertains to MINUSMA, the ongoing UN peacekeeping mission in Mali to which Denmark contributes militarily.
Currently, there are over a dozen Danes stationed in Mali in connection with MINUSMA, while an additional 70 are deployed to assist the French-led Operation Barkhane, which combats terrorism in the region.
“The country is already in dire straits in terms of security, development and aid, which impacts the civil society hard,” said Kofod.
“So it is imperative that all parties show restraint and not further escalate the situation. From a Danish perspective, we encourage a peaceful solution within the framework of Mali’s constitution.”
