Belgium closes its embassies in Bamako, Havana and Sarajevo

A royal decree of August 13, 2026, enacts the closure of the embassies of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of Mali in Bamako, to the Republic of Cuba in Havana, and to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. The decision was published in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) of September 23, 2026, page 51284, under the reference [C − 2026/006531]. The text appears in the “Other decrees” section of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

The act appears in the part of the official journal reserved for laws, decrees, ordinances, and regulations, under the heading of the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. It is included in the table of contents of the edition under the title “Closure of Belgian embassies in Bamako, Havana and Sarajevo, p. 51284,” making it immediately identifiable in the issue of September 23, 2026, a 164-page edition.

The notice is bilingual, published in Dutch and French, in accordance with the practice of the Belgian Official Gazette. It is inserted between the texts of the French Community and the notices of the FPS Social Security, in the same delivery as other royal and ministerial decrees from August 2026.

Three diplomatic posts concerned

Mali: Belgian embassy in Bamako, to the Republic of Mali.
Cuba: Belgian embassy in Havana, to the Republic of Cuba.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Belgian embassy in Sarajevo.

Official publication data

Nature of the act: royal decree of August 13, 2026.
Official journal: Belgian Official Gazette of September 23, 2026.
Page: 51284.
Official reference: [C − 2026/006531].
Issuing body: FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
Section: “Other decrees”.
Publication languages: Dutch and French.

What the text specifies and what it leaves pending

The published wording is brief: it notes the closure of the three embassies and stops there. The notice indicates neither an effective date, nor a timeline for staff withdrawal, nor a mechanism for the takeover of consular files or representation to the three states concerned. No savings amount, no staffing numbers, and no redeployment measures are mentioned in the text.

The three targeted states are designated by their official names in the decree: Republic of Mali, Republic of Cuba, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The closure concerns the embassies established in Bamako, Havana, and Sarajevo, meaning the bilateral posts, and not any other potential Belgian representations in these countries or in the region.

Scope for readers

The decision is now recorded in the official journal: it is public and enforceable, and no longer a mere political intention. For Belgian nationals residing, working, or traveling in Mali, Cuba, or Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for companies and associations active in these countries, the practical question is which office will handle the administrative and consular procedures, a point that the published notice does not resolve. Interested parties must therefore contact the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation to learn the applicable procedures, using reference [C − 2026/006531] to find the exact text in the Belgian Official Gazette of September 23, 2026, page 51284.