Swedish ambassador expelled from Mali over ‘hostile’ comment

Sweden’s ambassador to Bamako, Kristina Kuhnel, has been ordered to leave the West African Sahel nation within 72 hours, Mali’s foreign ministry said on Friday, because of what it called a “hostile” statement by a Swedish minister.The diplomatic spat underscores the broader geopolitical shift occurring in the region as three junta-led states — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — pivot away from traditional Western allies towards Russia.Sweden’s minister for international development cooperation and trade, Johan Forssell, said on Wednesday that the government had decided to phase out aid…