Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stated on Sunday (December 19) that if the danger is too great, Germany will not rule out transferring its military mission in Mali to another country.
“The safety of our soldiers is my top priority,” Lambrecht told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, referring to the Bundeswehr’s task of training the Malian army.
“We must now check whether it is possible to train Malian soldiers in another place that is safer for our soldiers, or even better,” the social democracy who took office as part of Olaf Scholz earlier this month The party minister said. New government.
Germany has approximately 1,500 soldiers in Mali as part of the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali peacekeeping mission and the EU’s mission to train Malian soldiers.
This Minusma website A series of incidents in which peacekeepers died after the attack were reported.
Lambrecht has indicated that she intends to review all foreign missions being performed by the German army.
The minister stated that she would like to see parliament’s authorization of military tasks “to have more debates in the parliament and constantly re-examine the objectives of the mission”.
She said that members of the Bundestag (House of Commons) “send soldiers to perform tasks and are therefore responsible for them”.
France has begun to withdraw troops from its northernmost base in Mali as part of a plan to reorganize troops deployed in the turbulent Sahel region under Operation Crescent Dune.
The French army bases in Kidal, Tesalit and Timbuktu in the northern part of the country will be closed by the end of the year and handed over to the Malian army.
This decision was made in the context of political instability in Mali. Colonel Asimi Goita staged two coups in less than a year and was sworn in as the country’s interim president.
In recent months, reports that the Russian mercenary Wagner Group may deploy mercenaries in Mali have further exacerbated the already tense relationship between the French government and the coup makers. While tensions have increased, anti-French sentiment has become widespread among Malians, who accused Paris of failing to contain the escalating violence and pursuing hidden agendas.
