Bamako, July 21 (TIWN) Malian Foreign Ministry has asked the spokesperson of MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, to leave the country in 72 hours as tweets about a diplomatic incident has escalated tensions between the two sides.

Mali announced last week the temporary suspension of all new rotations of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission for security reasons. The announcement came days after the Malian authorities arrested 49 soldiers from Cote d'Ivoire who they said have arrived in the country without permission.  Cote d'Ivoire said the soldiers were sent to provide support for MINUSMA, but Mali said it had no mission orders or any authorization to enter the country, Xinhua news agency reported.