Mali’s transitional government revealed on Monday that, it has asked the Danish government to immediately withdraw about 90 soldiers they recently deployed in the country. In the statement below, the government said “deployment occurred without its consent.”
The Malian military leadership said it was not consulted by Denmark and that, the deployment came as a surprise. “The government of Mali notes with astonishment, the deployment on its territory of a contingent of Danish special forces within the Takuba force,”
The government went on to instruct that, the troops are withdrawn immediately. “The Republic of Mali invites the Danish side to immediately withdraw the said contingent from the territory,” the televised statement from the military transitional government said.
The Danish government said it is working to resolve the issue. They also said that “there is currently great uncertainty about the announcement of the transitional government. The Danish contribution is part of the French-led operation in Mali, so we are also in close and permanent coordination with our partners, including France.”
On Monday, a statement was posted on the website of the Danish defence ministry, detailing the deployment. According to the ministry, about 90 personnel including surgeons army special forces, logistics support were part of the troops sent to Mali. The troops were supposed to join soldiers from other countries including France in the Takuba operation.