EU May Take Action If it Sees Transition of Power in Mali Obstructed

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - If there is any obstruction of the transition of power in Mali, the European Union will take action, European Commission spokesperson Nabila Massrali said.

The transitional government of Mali announced on Monday that the French ambassador to Bamako must leave the country in the next 72 hours in response to "hostile and outrageous" remarks of Paris, citing French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's criticism of the "military junta" that came to power in the west African nation and its "irresponsible measures."

"If there is any kind of obstruction to transition, we have always been very clear, there is a framework has been set up by the council, voted unanimously by member states, to take action against anybody holding up transition in Mali," she said at a briefing.

Mali has seen two military coups in the last two years, in August of 2020 and in May of 2021. The Military Council, led by Vice President Assimi Goita, took over the country and announced presidential and parliamentary elections next year. Goita was declared president of the transitional period by the country's constitutional court.

In November 2021, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that the general election, which was supposed to end the transition period, will have to be postponed from February 2022 to 2025 due to the volatile security situation.