Gambiaj.com – (COPENHAGUE, Denmark) – Denmark is closing its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso due to military coups that have strained its relations with the two countries. It will now establish new ones in Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia as part of its new engagement strategy in Africa. 

“As a result of military coups that have severely limited the scope for action in the Sahel region, the embassies in Burkina Faso and Mali will be closed,” a ministry statement said.

Relations between the two Sahel nations and several Western countries have deteriorated since the military coups in Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

Denmark said Tunisia is an important partner for it in North Africa in respect to many agendas, and holds the potential for expanded partnership in areas such as climate and the green transition, while Senegal is a leading country in West Africa and has a long democratic tradition in a geographical context shaped by military coups.

As part of its new strategy, the four existing embassies in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria will be upgraded to regional hubs, with greater coverage of developments in their respective regions