Germany suspends military mission in Mali amid diplomatic tensions

The German defence ministry has said it had suspended most of its operations in Mali after the local military-led government denied flyover rights to a UN peacekeeping mission.

"The Malian government has once again refused to give flyover rights to a flight planned today" for the rotation of personnel on the ground, a ministry spokesman said at a regular press conference on Friday.

In response, Germany had 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 set to "replace French forces" in the process of withdrawing, "security on site is not assured" as the "remaining forces must be kept ready for security operations".

The flyover rights were refused despite assurances to the contrary from the Malian Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a call with his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht Thursday, the spokesman said.

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Deteriorating relationship

The German move comes as Mali's junta turned away from France and toward Russia in its fight against insurgents.

The long-running insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

The relationship between Bamako and Paris, its former colonial power and traditional ally, has deteriorated in recent months.

The arrival of Russian paramilitaries in the country on the invitation of the government was a key factor in France's decision to pull its military forces out.

The withdrawal is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

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