Denmark has announced plans to open embassies in Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia, and increase its diplomatic workforce in its embassies to Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.
This decision came as the Danish foreign ministry introduced a new strategy for cooperation with Africa, Reuters reported.
“One of the most important foreign policy questions of this century will be whether African countries will orient themselves more towards the East or the West,” the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We have a clear interest in African countries looking to us in Europe to set the course for their future,” it added.
At the same time, the Danish ministry said it would close its embassies in Mali and Burkina Faso following a series of military coups in recent years.
Since 2020, Mali has been governed by a military junta and has been fighting ethnic Tuareg rebels in the north with the support of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, after severing military ties with Western nations, including European Union countries.
Since then, relations between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso and Western powers have worsened as the three countries turn to Russia for support.
Frustration over the authorities’ inability to restore security has led to coups in both Mali and Burkina Faso, which the Danish foreign ministry noted has severely restricted manoeuvrability in the Sahel region.
Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
