France urges citizens to leave Mali due to rising security risks
The French foreign ministry has advised all French nationals in Mali to leave the country temporarily, as a two-month-old fuel blockade by al-Qaeda-linked militants has nearly paralyzed the capital, Bamako.
In post on its website on Friday, the ministry recommended that French nationals leave Mali "as soon as possible" through commercial flights and not by land, warning that main roads have been targeted by "terrorist groups", News.Az reports citing France24.
The ministry also reiterated its formal advice against travelling to the African country "regardless of the reason".
It comes a day after the ministry told a press briefing that insecurity in Mali showed the country’s decision to turn to Russia and Moscow-linked armed groups for security assistance had proven to be a failure.
"We are following the security situation in Mali with a great deal of attention and genuine concern," foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters on Thursday.
"What I could add is that we can see that the contested presence of Russia, or forces associated with it in Mali, does not in any way ensure the security of Malian women and men."
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