Denmark Shifts Diplomatic Focus in Africa Amid Military Coups

Denmark will close embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso following military coups, while establishing new embassies in Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia. The Danish foreign ministry emphasized the strategic importance of African alliances amidst increasing Russian influence. Relations with Western powers have fractured in the Sahel, creating diplomatic challenges.

Denmark will close its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso after a series of military coups over the past few years, the Danish foreign ministry said on Monday, as it formally launched a new strategy for its cooperation with the African continent.

Ruled by a military junta since 2020, Mali has been battling ethnic Tuareg rebels in its north alongside Russia's Wagner mercenary group after it cut military cooperation ties with Western powers, including European Union countries. Relations between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso and Western powers have deteriorated as they turn to Russia for support, exacerbating frustrations and contributing to coups.

The Danish foreign ministry stated that the political climate in the Sahel region has created very limited room for maneuver. Mali's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Concurrently, Denmark will open embassies in Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia and bolster its diplomatic workforce in Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana.

"One of the most important foreign policy questions of this century will be whether African countries will orient themselves more towards the East or the West," the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement. "We have a clear interest in African countries looking to us in Europe to set the course for their future," it added.

(With inputs from agencies.)