Lambrecht visits German soldiers in Mali
Shortly before Christmas, Germany’s defence minister has travelled to the West African country for a visit. The Bundeswehr is to withdraw from there by May 2024.
Bamako (dpa) – German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is visiting German soldiers in the West African country of Mali. She landed in the capital Bamako in the early hours of Thursday. About 1,200 men and women of the German Armed Forces are currently deployed in Mali, where they are taking part in a United Nations Blue Helmets mission to help stabilise the country. According to a decision by the German government, they are to be withdrawn from the UN’s MINUSMA mission in Mali by May 2024. The government has announced an orderly withdrawal.
It is Lambrecht’s first visit to Mali since the decision was taken to withdraw the German Blue Helmets, which is to begin next summer. By travelling to the largest and currently most dangerous deployment of the troops in the run-up to Christmas, the minister is continuing a tradition begun by her predecessors.
There have been repeated clashes in Mali recently between the government, which came to power in a military coup, and the UN mission. Flight permits for military aircraft and for the German-operated Heron reconnaissance drone have been repeatedly denied, for example. The presence of Russian mercenaries engaged by the Malian government has also led to criticism. The mission’s continuation for a further 18 months at the most is therefore subject to several conditions. One of these is that the Bundeswehr must be permitted again to fly regular reconnaissance missions for the United Nations with the Heron drone. The elections planned to take place in the first months of 2024 must not be postponed either.