Statement from Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade, Johan Forssell, to the Malian Government:
"You cannot support Russia's illegal aggressive war against Ukraine and simultaneously receive several hundred million kronor each year in development aid. Therefore, our government has decided to gradually terminate Sweden's bilateral cooperation and aid strategy with Mali in 2024."
Over the past decade, Sweden has contributed over 3.5 billion kronor in development aid to Mali, according to Forssell's spokesperson for TV4 Nyheterna.
The decision is part of the government's effort to reform parts of bilateral aid to Africa.
As part of the reform, Swedish aid will not support states or actors that are undemocratic or undermine the "rules-based international order," thereby "undermining Swedish interests," according to the aid minister.
"When we collaborate with other countries, we expect those countries to also want to cooperate with Sweden. However, Mali's military junta is instead aligning with Russia and supporting their full-scale war against Ukraine. We believe that the conditions for aid work are better in other countries than in Mali," says Forssell.
