Mali’s military authorities has asked the French ambassador to leave the country with in a 72-hour deadline announced Monday.

The French ambassador, Joel Meyer was summoned earlier Monday by the West African country’s foreign ministry and instructed him to leave for a “hostile and outrageous statements” by the French authorities that is targeted at the junta government, a military spokesperson said in a statement.

According to africanews “The government of the Republic of Mali informs the national and international community that this day, Monday, 31 January 2022, the ambassador of France to Mali his excellency Joel Meyer was called by the Minister of Foreign Affairs And international cooperation, who notified him of the decision of the government instructing him to leave the country within 72 hours,” the statement said.