Mali’s ruling military junta on Monday imposed a ban on all non-governmental organisations (NGO) that are funded or supported by France from operating in the country, reported The France 24. The ban also includes NGOs operating in the humanitarian field.
Mali’s interim Prime Minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga justified the decision in a statement, calling it a response to France’s recent halt to development aid for Bamako over its link with the Russian Wagner group.
In the statement, Maiga spoke of about the allegations that were intended to deceive and manipulate national and international public opinion to destabilize and isolate Mali.
Last week, the French foreign ministry said it took the decision over Bamako’s alleged use of paramilitaries from the Wagner group based in Russia.
Maïga has denied those allegations, saying they were aimed a destabilising the country. He said the Russians were working as instructors.
Mali’s foreign ministry described the French government as dehumanising aid for the Malian people and said France was using the funds to blackmail governments and support the terrorist groups in Mali.
The ministry said it had in response decided to “ban with immediate all the operations undertaken in Mali by NGOs funded or technically supported by France, including humanitarian organisations”.
Earlier this year, France withdrew its troops working with Mali in its Barkhane operation that helped five Sahel nations fight extremist insurgencies. The diplomatic relations between the two countries started to fell apart following coups in 2020 and 2021. Mali’s ruling military junta has cornered Paris in favor of deeper ties with Russia.
Mali has witnessed two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021. The army ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. The following year, the military forced out an interim civilian government.
According to information on the French Embassy’s website in Bamako, France offered an aid of €473 million ($490 million) to Mali through the French Development Agency (AFD) between 2013 and 2017.
