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Denmark is set to close it embassies in Burkina Faso and Mali, and expected to open new ones in both Tunisia and Senegal.
This comes amid a phase of deteriorating relationships betweeen the West African countries and the West with the Sahel countries having ordered other Western powers like the United States and France to leave and heavily turning to Russia for support
The Danish embassy cited unfavorable political situation for the move .
The move came “as a result of military coups that have severely limited the scope for action in the Sahel region, the embassies in Burkina Faso and Mali will be closed,” Danish Foreign Ministry statement said.
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According to it’s plan, Denmark is set to reinforce its other existing embassies in Africa with diplomatic staff and resources upgrading them to regional hubs that is Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Ghana.
“Raising the status of an embassy to a regional hub entails strengthened cooperation with the countries for which the embassy is side-accredited. The new regional hubs are situated in countries that are leading nations in their respective geographic regions,” stated ministry in a statement.
In the recent years Chinas popularity has grown in Africa under it’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which attracted many countries seeing it as a better investment and development partner followed by Russia whose military influence has also grown in the continent forging relationships with countries as a security partners.
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“Africa’s geopolitical relevance and importance in international politics has never been greater; their populations, economies, and assertiveness are growing,” stated Denmark.
According to Denmark’s foreign Minister’s Lars Lokke Rasmussen “one of this century’s most important foreign policy questions is whether Africa will orient itself more towards the East or the West.”
“We must demonstrate that we offer an attractive alternative to the increasing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent,” he added.
In light of the ongoing developments Denmark plans to invest around One billion Danish Kroner (approximately $150) in new bilateral water initiatives in Africa in the coming years, with an estimated 425 million Danish Kroner planned to be invested in 2025.
