Germany suspends military operations after another overflight refusal: ministry

Germany announced Friday to suspend “until further notice” most of its military operations in Mali as part of the UN mission (Minusma), denouncing a new refusal of overflight by the Malian authorities.

“The Malian government has once once more refused to authorize a flight scheduled for today” which was to ensure a rotation of personnel, explained a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense.

Consequently, “we are suspending until further notice our reconnaissance operations and helicopter transport flights” because “it is no longer possible to support Minusma operationally”, he added.

Without the new personnel who were to partly “replace the French forces” which are withdrawing, “security on the spot is no longer ensured” and “the remaining forces must be dedicated to securing” and will no longer be able to carry out their usual missions, explained the spokesperson during a press conference.

The denial of the overflight came despite assurances to the contrary from Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara in a telephone interview Thursday with his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht, he added.

“Camara’s actions speak a different language than his words,” denounced the German minister on Twitter.

The German decision comes as Mali, which pushed the old French ally out and ardently relaunched cooperation with Moscow, has for some weeks been facing a resurgence of attacks from the nebula of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, JNIM in Arabic).

Relations between the junta in power in Bamako and Paris, a former colonial power, have deteriorated sharply in recent months, particularly since the arrival in Mali of paramilitaries from the Russian private security group Wagner, pushing the two countries to break up following nine years of uninterrupted French presence to fight once morest the jihadists.

The French force Barkhane is currently finalizing the evacuation of its equipment from this country.

Relations between Mali and the UN, whose blue helmets have been present in the country since 2013, have also deteriorated in recent weeks.