Mali's Foreign Ministry on Thursday asked the United Nations peacekeeping force (MINUSMA) to suspend all flights scheduled to transport its forces, after the country's authorities detained 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast who entered its territory to participate in security operations without obtaining permits.

And the Malian Foreign Ministry said - in a letter to the United Nations mission - that "for reasons of national security, the Malian government decided, starting from Thursday, to suspend all flights of the mission, including those that have already been scheduled or announced," according to the Associated Press. .

The ministry added that it hopes to meet with representatives of the United Nations to find an "ideal plan that will facilitate the coordination of the mission's operations."

For its part, the United Nations called for an "urgent settlement" after the suspension was announced, and said it was ready to hold immediate discussions to resolve the issue.

The mandate of the United Nations forces deployed in Mali since 2013, with a number of 13,000 soldiers, was renewed for a year on June 29, but with "strong opposition" from Mali to the freedom of movement of its soldiers within the framework of human rights investigations.

Tensions have risen between Mali and the United Nations since last Sunday, when the authorities in Mali arrested soldiers from Ivory Coast, including members of the special forces.

Mali said that Ivory Coast soldiers do not have the appropriate permission to come to the country, and accused them of being "mercenaries", according to the same source.

For its part, the Ivory Coast called for the immediate release of its soldiers, saying that all agreed contacts were made for their arrival in Mali.