(Bloomberg) -- Mali’s military leadership ordered a temporary halt to all United Nations troop rotations, days after arresting 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast who were supporting the UN’s peacekeeping mission.

The suspension applies to all military and police personnel in the 13,000-strong UN force until further notice, Mali’s foreign affairs ministry said in an emailed statement Thursday.

Mali arrested the Ivorian soldiers, calling them mercenaries who illegally entered the country. Ivory Coast’s government and a UN spokesman said the troops  arrived in Mali to provide logistical and security support in line with a contract signed in 2019.

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