Mali

Mali's military leaders are expelling the French ambassador over what they called "outrageous" comments made by the French foreign minister about the transitional government.

The European Union has agreed to impose travel bans and asset freezes on five members of Mali’s junta after the military rulers went back on an agreement to organise elections in February, three diplomats said.

Since being sanctioned by ECOWAS for failure to organize elections, Mali’s military rulers have taken a hard stance against countries, including France, that backed the sanctions. … This week, Mali ordered a recently arrived Danish contingent of the European Takuba task force to “withdraw immediately” from Malian territory.

His death brings to 53 the total number of combat deaths suffered by French forces since they first deployed troops to Mali nine years ago to fight an insurgency by Islamic extremists.

As relations between France and Mali sour rapidly, Paris is wondering whether it is time to stop providing military backup to a country run by a junta that has defied the international community.

Mali's authorities banned a German military plane with 75 troops on board from overflying the country late on Wednesday, forcing it to divert to Gran Canaria, the German defence ministry said.

A contingent of some 90 Danish soldiers has arrived in Mali to join European special forces supporting the country’s anti-jihadist operations, Denmark’s military said Tuesday.

Russia already has "hundreds" of mercenaries in Mali, but there was no sign they were using EU-trained Malian soldiers, the EU foreign service has said.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission to Mali, or MINUSMA, has temporarily suspended all flights after West African and EU states imposed sanctions that disrupted air and land transport.

Mali has asked France for a review of bilateral defense accords against the backdrop of growing tensions between Paris and the ruling junta in Bamako, a French diplomat said Monday.