A military government is in power in Mali. After renewed attacks in the country shaken by jihadist violence, the USA is calling on its government employees to leave the country. The embassy is going into emergency mode.
The US has asked most of its government officials in Mali to leave the country. In an updated travel advisory, the US State Department ordered “US government employees and family members who are not required for emergency operations” to leave the country. There is an "increased risk of terrorism" and "terrorists and other armed groups" continue to plan kidnappings and attacks at places visited by Western citizens.
The US Embassy in Mali is currently still limited in its ability to provide emergency assistance to its own citizens. The US government did not mention any specific threats to its own employees, but wrote of an increased risk in "nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, places of worship and diplomatic missions".
At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed in three attacks in Mali on Wednesday. The Malian armed forces had blamed "terrorists" for the attacks.
Mali has been rocked by jihadist violence for years. An Islamist uprising began in 2012 and spread to the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have already been killed in the conflict and two million people have been displaced from their homes.
After military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, relations between the West African country with its 20 million inhabitants and Western countries have deteriorated significantly. Since the last putsch in May last year, the country has been led by a military transitional government that is supposed to maintain close ties with Russia. The Bundeswehr continues to be involved in the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA in Mali. Recently, tensions between the government in Bamako, the UN peacekeeping mission and the participating states have increased significantly. Egypt has suspended its participation in the UN mission for the time being.
