Mali’s military government on Wednesday repeated a demand that Danish special forces withdraw from the Sahel state, noting recent “inappropriate” comments made by Denmark’s foreign minister, IgbereTV reports.
The junta, which came to power in a coup in August 2020, had first asked Denmark to withdraw its troops on Monday, following a deployment it said had been undertaken without consent.
A contingent of around 90 Danish soldiers arrived in Mali to join European special forces supporting the country’s anti-jihadist operations earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told reporters that Danish forces were in Mali “on a clear basis” and that his government was seeking to clarify the issue.
“There is currently a difficult diplomatic discussion with the transitional government,” he added.
“They have suspended democracy, and we want to see it return as soon as possible”.
Mali’s junta stated on Wednesday evening that it had read Kofod’s “inappropriate” comments with “surprise and consternation”.
Denmark notified Mali on June 29 that it was sending troops to join the so-called Takuba force of elite soldiers, according to the statement.
