Ministry of Defense confirms: Bundeswehr mission in Mali will be suspended for the time being

Created: 08/13/2022, 06:40

By: Felix Durach

Bundeswehr soldiers leave a place in Camp Castor in Malian Gao during the visit of the defense minister.

(Archive image) © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

The Bundeswehr had been deployed in West African Mali for almost ten years.

The Ministry of Defense is now suspending the operation for the time being.

Update from August 12, 8:37 p.m .:

After the Bundeswehr mission in Mali was suspended, the FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann calls for consequences from the federal government.

The Federal Foreign Office must quickly present a new strategy for the Sahel zone, "which takes into account the new and more difficult circumstances," said the chair of the Bundestag Defense Committee on Friday of the German Press Agency.

She also called for better coordination between the Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg): "Obviously, the AA and the BMVg do not work synchronously."

The security situation in the entire Sahel region, which stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, is precarious.

A number of armed groups are active there.

Some have pledged allegiance to the terrorist groups Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda.

The instability is one reason why thousands of people from the region make their way to Europe.

Federal government suspends Bundeswehr mission in Mali

First report

: Berlin – The federal government is temporarily suspending the foreign deployment of the Bundeswehr in West African Mali.

This was confirmed by a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense on Friday in Berlin.

The Malian government has repeatedly denied the Bundeswehr overflight rights, it said in the justification for the suspension.

Due to the flights, the personnel of the Bundeswehr should be exchanged on site at regular intervals.

Bundeswehr mission in Mali suspended - refusal of overflight rights as a reason

In principle, Germany is still willing to take part in the international peace mission, emphasized government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

However, that only makes sense if it is supported by the government there.

At the beginning of the week, the head of the political department of the Federal Foreign Office for Africa, Latin America, the Near and Middle East, Christian Buck, traveled to Mali to enter into negotiations with the government there.

The Malian side is said to have signaled the rotation of the Bundeswehr during the talks.

Troops could be resumed shortly.

Lambrecht justifies decision: "Have to take action"

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is said to have received corresponding assurances in a telephone call to her Malian counterpart Sadio Camara on Thursday.

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Lambrecht said of the decision in a statement on Twitter: "Camara's actions speak a different language than his words.

Therefore, we must take action and suspend the operation, our reconnaissance forces and the CH-53 transport flights until further notice.”

Bundeswehr mission in Mali suspended - the situation in the country is considered extremely unstable

The West African country is considered to be extremely unstable politically.

Since 2012, three military coups have taken place in the country of 20 million people.

Since the most recent coup in May 2021, the country has been led by an interim military government tasked with maintaining close ties with Russia.

Since then, the deployment of the UN peacekeeping force Minusma, in which the Bundeswehr is also involved, has been repeatedly impaired.

The Minusma peacekeeping mission was launched in July 2013 with the participation of various countries.

On July 26, 2017, two Bundeswehr soldiers died in a helicopter crash near the city of Gao as part of the mission.