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Malian soldiers at the airport in Bamako (archive)
Photo:
Nicolas Remene / Le Pictorium / IMAGO
The government in West African Mali has banned foreign soldiers from staying at part of the airport in the capital Bamako, where a UN base is also located.
This was announced by the Ministry of Transport in a statement.
The ban on the "acceptance and accommodation" of foreign soldiers is directed against the company "Sahel Aviation Services", on whose premises a United Nations base is located.
Bundeswehr soldiers are also deployed there as part of the Minusma peace mission.
All foreign soldiers would have to leave the premises of the "SAS" company within 72 hours, it said.
The company violates contractual agreements and thus endangers the security of Mali.
It was initially not clear whether the ban practically meant the dissolution of the UN base.
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense stated that it was aware of the letter to "SAS".
The Operations Command is now examining what effects it would have on the Bundeswehr mission in Mali.
On Wednesday, the Defense Committee in Berlin wanted to discuss the current situation in Mali.
Under the military government of General Assimi Goita, tensions with countries like Germany, which are participating in the UN mission, have recently increased significantly.
Mali, with a population of around 20 million, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered extremely unstable.
Islamist terrorist groups are also active in parts of the country.
mkl/dpa
