The flight ban on foreign armed forces recently issued by the military government is proving to be problematic for the German Bundeswehr. A transport aircraft of the type A400M had to turn around and fly back to Germany due to a lack of approval.

Germany currently has around 1.300 soldiers stationed in this African country as part of the UN mission. The air between the military government and Minusma has been tense for some time. The state leadership blocked for just over a week now Flight movements of foreign armed forces. The only exceptions to this are movements that are carried out for medical reasons.

The affected military flight took off from Wunstorf Air Base on Wednesday afternoon and was supposed to bring 74 soldiers to Mali, among other things. Previously, they had to complete a two-week hotel quarantine. According to official information, all military personnel were triple vaccinated against Covid-19 and tested negative several times.

The Airbus A400M made its way to a base in Niger and was then supposed to fly to the German quarters near Gao. However, nothing came of it, because the military government of Mali refused the overflight. Therefore, the air force moved to Las Palmas, and there the soldiers and the military crew were initially accommodated in hotels.

In German politics, the continuation of the Bundeswehr mission in Mali is now the subject of controversial discussion, as it can be complicated to maintain without regular military "shuttle flights". Some opposition politicians said there should be no withdrawal, while the defense minister at least said it couldn't go on like this.