The spokeswoman for the European External Action Service, Nabila Massrali, on Monday 31 January criticised the withdrawal of Danish troops from the Takuba operation following a Malian request stating that they had come without their consent.
Tensions between France and Bamako continue to rise. On the afternoon of 31 January, the Malian authorities gave the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the country. The latter had been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain French criticism of the authorities (see other news).
The Malian request to the Danish troops, who had just arrived in the country, is “another signal of the junta’s headlong rush in Mali”, Massrali told EUROPE, adding that the legal basis for the operation is “perfectly clear” and that the Danes had deployed with Mali’s full consent.
According to her, “this attempt to divide Europe will lead nowhere” and it is, above and beyond the Danish case, “a collective questioning of the European effort [to fight terrorism] in Mali”.
The members of Takuba are currently discussing the future of their military engagement in the country.
Ms Massrali said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, had expressed his concerns to Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.
“Any change in the working conditions of Takuba and Barkhane will inevitably have consequences for our common security and defence policy arrangement, and we are assessing with all our partners what to do”, the spokeswoman warned, adding that the EUTM Mali mission was working in close cooperation and coordination with Takuba.
Ms Massrali said that the two EU missions in Mali, EUTM Mali and EUCAP Sahel Mali, which have a non-executive mandate, were continuing their advisory and training activities for the moment. “They are closely monitoring the situation and adapting their posture accordingly and based on the political guidance received by the Member States”, she added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)