German military mission in Mali suspends amid tensions

• Germany stops most of its work in Mali after the Malian government denies UN peacekeeping mission the right to fly over.
• Germany suspends operations of reconnaissance forces and CH-53 (helicopter) transport flights.
• France is pulling its troops out of Mali, turning towards Russia in fight against militancy.

BERLIN: The German defence ministry said on Friday that it had stopped most of its work in Mali because the military-led government there had denied a UN peacekeeping mission the right to fly over.

“The Malian government has once again refused to give flyover rights to a flight planned today,” a ministry spokesman said at a regular press conference. The flight was meant to change the people on the ground.

In response, Germany decided to “suspend until further notice the operations of our reconnaissance forces and CH-53 (helicopter) transport flights.”

“It is no longer possible to support the MINUSMA reconnaissance missions on an operational basis,” the spokesman said.

Without the new troops, who were supposed to “replace French forces” that were leaving, “security on site is not guaranteed” because the “remaining forces must be kept ready for security operations.”

Even though Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara told his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht on Thursday that the rights to fly over Mali would be given, they were not.

“Camara’s actions tell a different story than his words,”  Lambrecht said in a tweet from her ministry.

In its fight against militancy, Mali’s government has turned away from France and toward Russia.

The long-lasting rebellion has killed tens of thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to leave their homes.

In recent months, the relationship between Bamako and Paris, Mali’s former colonial power and longtime ally, has grown worse.

The fact that the government invited Russian paramilitaries to come to the country was a big reason why France decided to pull its troops out.

It is expected that the withdrawal will be completed in the next few weeks.

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