The German Ministry of Defense has suspended its military mission in Mali until further notice.

“The German Ministry of Defense has suspended its military mission in Mali until further notice,” the German news agency reported.

The German army withdrew 60 soldiers from a logistics base at the airport in Bamako, Mali’s capital, earlier this week in response to a request from the local government.

On Wednesday, the German Ground Forces Operational Command announced that the Malian authorities had withdrawn permission to use the German A400M military transport aircraft. The command clarified that without a flight permit, a full rescue chain for German forces participating in the UN MINUSMA mission could not be guaranteed, adding that it was not yet clear why the permit had been withdrawn.

According to the data, the German army is also being affected by the Mali government’s directive not to allow foreign soldiers to remain at part of the airport in the country’s capital, Bamako, which also hosts a UN base.

Mali, with a population of about 20 million, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered a highly politically unstable country. Since the latest coup in May 2021, the country has been led by a transitional military government with close ties to Russia.