France and 14 other countries have asked Mali to allow Danish special forces to remain …
in the African country, whose transitional government insists that the Copenhagen soldiers – stationed in the country in January as part of the European Takubasian task force entered Mali without a formal invitation and must withdraw immediately. soldiers who are . On January 24, the Malian government said, in a statement read on national television and posted on social networks, that the deployment of Danish soldiers was carried out without the consent of the executive, calling for their withdrawal. The request comes after, on January 18, Denmark had announced the deployment of 90 soldiers, mostly special forces soldiers and military surgeons. The first should carry out functions of advice, support and cooperation for the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), while the second would be used to support medical operations needed by the Takuba task force, operating in Mali. Denmark’s contribution to the European mission is expected to last through 2022.
France’s former ambassador to Mali, Nicolas Normand, posted on Twitter a 2019 document in which former Malian President Ibrahim Bouubacar Keita calls on Denmark for anti-jihadist military intervention. “Despite all the efforts deployed and the support of our partners and allies, al securitarian situation in Mali still remains fragile and needs to be consolidated,” Keita wrote in the document, where he called the efforts of the French operation Barkhane active in the Sahel “useful and indispensable.” “I would like to urge your government for military assistance and the deployment of elements of your armed forces on Malian territory within the Multinational Inter-Armed Force for Special Forces called Task Force Takuba placed under the command of the Barkhane force,” Keita wrote. “The status of elements of your real armed forces deployed on Malian territory within Takuba will be set by a status of forces agreement,” the document then continued.