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French soldiers in Mali (archive shot)
Photo: THOMAS COEX / AFP
After France's decision to withdraw troops from Mali, the German government is leaving the future of German military operations there open.
The French step will "also have an impact on the joint international commitment, we are coordinating closely with our partners," said Foreign Minister Katja Keul (Greens).
The goal of the missions remains the same - "namely that we want to improve the security of the people and the stability of the region," she explained.
However, the question now to be clarified is »whether and how we can achieve these goals«.
Dozens of countries are involved in various military missions in the West African crisis country.
The Bundeswehr is involved in two of them.
However, neither the fight against jihadist groups nor the establishment of a Malian army have so far been successful.
The country has not had an elected government for a year and a half.
An overview of the previous missions:
France's Operation Serval (2013-2014)
The trigger for foreign military operations in Mali was the influx of weapons and fighters as a result of the civil war in Libya.
French President François Hollande dispatched soldiers in January 2013 when separatist Tuaregs and jihadist fighters rebelled against the government in Bamako.
It became France's largest operation in Africa since the end of the colonial era.
The Bundeswehr sent transport aircraft and provided logistical support.
France's "Operation Barkhane" (since 2014)
Under the new name Barkhane, the French soldiers were to fight jihadist groups in Mali and neighboring countries.
At times 5500 soldiers were deployed.
As part of this operation, France used armed drones for the first time.
The French soldiers supported the UN mission and the EU training mission, but did not allow themselves to be involved.
On Thursday, France announced the withdrawal of the soldiers involved in Barkhane.
UN Mission Minusma (since 2013)
The United Nations peacekeeping mission was supposed to help stabilize the country, but quickly became the target of jihadist groups.
The number of soldiers has increased to 15,000.
The Bundeswehr is currently involved with around 1,000 soldiers, the upper limit is 1,100. With around 250 operational personnel killed, MINUSMA is currently the UN mission with the highest losses.
EU training mission EUTM (since 2013)
The Bundeswehr is currently involved with around 300 soldiers in the mission to train the regional armed forces.
In the first year the French were in charge.
Last year, more than two dozen nations were involved, totaling about 1,000 soldiers.
The training took place at the Malian officer school in Koulikoro, among other places, but was severely reduced due to the corona pandemic.
European Task Force Takuba (since 2020)
Under pressure from France, several European countries, including Estonia, Romania and Sweden, agreed on a joint mission in Mali.
The operation is under the command of France, Germany is not involved.
Macron saw Takuba as an example of a common European defence.
In recent weeks, the Malian military junta has increasingly obstructed the deployment of the approximately 800-strong task force, for example by expelling the Danish contingent.
On Thursday, Paris and its European partners announced the start of the withdrawal of soldiers involved in the Takuba mission.
The Élysée Palace cited the postponement of the elections in Mali and "numerous obstructions" by the military junta as the reason for the decision.
Russian Military Advisor (since 2021)
The Malian military junta says it has brought Russian military advisers into the country, who, among other things, have taken over the military base in Timbuktu that had been abandoned by the French.
According to French information, there are at least 1,000 mercenaries from the private Wagner group, which is close to the Kremlin.
These had already been hired by the Central African Republic to protect the government and in return had enriched themselves with the mineral resources.
Their presence is one of the reasons for the announced withdrawal of European soldiers.
as /AFP