Mali has joined Burkina Faso, and Niger in withdrawing from the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
Mali announced its withdrawal from the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) a day after its allies Niger and Burkina Faso did the same.
The Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the country could not remain a member of an organisation whose actions are incompatible with its constitutional principles, which are based on state sovereignty.
The three nations, founding members of the OIF, condemned the organisation for selectively applying sanctions and undermining their sovereignty, calling it a politically motivated tool.
The withdrawal comes amid growing tensions between these countries and France, as military leaders in the Sahel turn to Russia and reassert their sovereignty, symbolised by the renaming of streets and monuments that once honoured France.
Mali was suspended from the organization – a post-colonial entity that resembles the Commonwealth – in August 2020 after a military coup, which toppled its president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.
The OIF had called for the release of Keïta, in power since 2013 at the helm of the West African country, which for years has faced a security, political and economic crisis. It had also called for the speedy setting up of a transition government led by civilians.
On Monday, fellow junta-led states Burkina Faso and Niger, which have also turned their backs on former colonial power France while forging ties with Russia, announced their withdrawal from the OIF.
The three have also left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to form their own Sahel confederation.
Niger was also suspended from the OIF after a military coup toppled its elected president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
