# List of ambassadors of Sweden to Mali

The Ambassador of Sweden to Mali (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Mali) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the head of state of Mali and government of Mali.

## History

Sweden recognized the Mali Federation as a sovereign and independent state on 20 June 1960, in connection with its declaration of independence, as announced by Acting Foreign Minister Carl Henrik Nordlander [sv] in a congratulatory telegram to Mali's Prime Minister, Modibo Keïta. Simultaneously, a congratulatory telegram was sent by His Majesty the King.
Sweden's first ambassador accredited in Bamako was Karl Henrik Andersson, who held a dual accreditation from the Swedish embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, starting in 1964. The embassy in Abidjan closed in 1967 and responsibility for Mali was transferred to the Swedish embassy in Algiers. Ambassador Claës König [sv] in Algiers presented his letters of credence to President Moussa Traoré on 28 May 1969. Until 1980, the ambassador in Algiers was accredited in Bamako, then for a year from the Swedish embassy in Abidjan, before a Stockholm-based ambassador took over the role until the year 2000. In the 2000s, the Swedish ambassador in Dakar, Senegal, was accredited in Bamako.
Sweden opened an embassy in Bamako in 2010 and appointed a resident ambassador there. The ambassador was accredited in neighboring countries.
In August 2024, the Swedish ambassador to Mali, Kristina Kühnel, was ordered to leave the country within 72 hours due to a "hostile" statement by a Swedish minister. This move underscored Mali's shift away from Western allies towards Russia, following Sweden's decision to phase out aid due to Mali's ties with Moscow. Relations between Mali and Western nations had deteriorated as Mali, ruled by a military junta, increasingly aligned with Russia.

## List of representatives

| Name | Period | Resident/Non resident | Title | Accreditation |
| Karl Henrik Andersson | 1964–1967 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Abidjan. |
| Claës König | 1968–1972 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Algiers. Presented credentials on 28 May 1969. |
| Jean-Jacques von Dardel | 1972–1974 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Algiers. |
| Harald Edelstam | 1975–1979 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Algiers. |
| Stig Brattström | 1979–1980 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Algiers. |
| Hans-Olle Olsson | 1980–1981 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Abidjan. |
| – | 1982–1982 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Vacant. |
| Erik Cornell | 1983–1988 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. |
| Bengt Holmquist | 1989–1992 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. |
| – | 1993–1994 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Vacant. |
| Magnus Faxén | 1994–1995 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. |
| Nils-Erik Schyberg | 1996–1998 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. |
| – | 1999–2000 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Vacant. |
| Bo Wilén | 2000–2002 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Dakar. |
| Annika Magnusson | 2002–2005 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Dakar. |
| Agneta Bohman | 2006–2010 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Dakar. |
| Carin Wall | 2010–2013 | Resident | Ambassador | |
| Eva Emnéus | 2013–2018 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Niamey (from 2015), Nouakchott (from 2015), and Ouagadougou (from 2015). |
| Jessica Svärdström | 1 September 2018 – 2019 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Ouagadougou. |
| Diana Janse | 2019–2021 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Niamey (from 2020). |
| Kristina Kühnel | 2021 – August 2024 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Niamey (from 2023). |