Mali, France stop issuing visas to each other's nationals in escalating row

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.

The French embassy earlier this week suspended the 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 Wednesday.

On August 7, the French foreign ministry issued an update on its guidance for travel.

"In the current context of strong regional tensions, all travel to Mali is strongly disadvised. French citizens in Mali are urged to show the greatest vigilance," it said.

Deteriorating relations

The higher security classification has entailed a "reorganisation" of services at the French embassy, which means it is "unable to issue visas until further notice", according to a French online visa application site.

France and Mali fell out after the military seized power in Bamako in 2020, ousting elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita over failures to stem a bloody insurgency.

As the dispute escalated and the junta brought in Russian paramilitaries under a phased withdrawal that ended last year.

The bilateral spat has coincided with a surge of regional tensions sparked by a coup on July 26 in neighbouring Niger, a key French ally.