Mali’s military administration has announced a ban on the operations of NGOs sponsored or supported by France, including humanitarian organisations, amid an escalating dispute between Bamako and Paris.
In a social media post on Monday, the country’s interim prime minister, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, justified the action as a reaction to France’s recent suspension of development aid to Mali.
Three months after concluding its withdrawal of forces from the nation, the French Foreign Ministry announced last week that it had made the decision in response to Bamako’s suspected employment of paramilitaries from the Russian Wagner group. Mali denies this, acknowledging only the support of Russian military “instructors”.
Maiga spoke in his statement of “fanciful allegations” and “subterfuge intended to deceive and manipulate national and international public opinion for the purpose of destabilising and isolating Mali”.
“As a result, the transitional government has decided to ban, with immediate effect, all activities carried out by NGOs operating in Mali with funding or material or technical support from France, including in the humanitarian field,” it said.
Last week a Foreign Ministry source said France would maintain its humanitarian aid as well as financing for “civil society organisations” in Mali.