The hostilities between the Republic of Mali and France has deepened with the duo suspending the issuance of visas to each other’s citizens.
ASHENEWS recalls that Mali had since cut ties with its former colonial master, France.
The West African country has also canceled all existing colonial agreements that France had with the country (including the pact for the continuation of colonization).
Mali, Similarly asked French soldiers who were permanently stationed in that country to simply get out – an order that has since been heeded by France.
In what could be described as a depeening deteriorating situation in Niger, and with Mali and Burkina Faso vowing to defend Niger if the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) carried out their threat to invade Niger, France suddenly placed Mali on the RED and warned its citizens not to travel there.
Again, shortly after ECOWAS ordered the deployment of standby force to Niger, after the expiration of the bloc’s ultimatum, France suddenly stopped issuing visas to Malians wishing to travel to Paris, through their embassy in Mali.
In a retaliatory stance, Mali also stopped issuing visas to French citizens wishing to travel to Mali through the Malian embassy in Paris.