France and Mali have suspended issuing visas to each other’s citizens, in a heightening of a row that has already prompted a French military withdrawal from its former Sahel ally, diplomats said Thursday.
The French embassy earlier this week suspended issuance of new visas in the Malian capital Bamako after placing all of the country in a “red zone” where it is strongly advised not to travel, they said.
Mali’s junta responded by freezing new visas for French citizens at its embassy in Paris in an act of “reciprocity”, the Malian foreign ministry said.
On August 7, the French foreign ministry issued an update on its guidance for travel.
