The Green foreign politician Jürgen Trittin warns the Union against terminating its support for the deployment of the Bundeswehr in Mali.
“We have agreed with our partners to stay until after the May 2024 elections.
It would be negligent not to accompany this country to a new democratic beginning, but simply to leave it to Vladimir Putin and his Wagner mercenaries with a hasty withdrawal," Trittin told SPIEGEL.
He emphasized: "A withdrawal before the announced elections would shake the unstable situation in the country even further."
Trittin accuses the CDU and CSU of not living up to their foreign policy responsibilities.
"The Mali mission began in 2013 under the responsibility of the CDU/CSU," says Trittin.
"Contrary to what the Union has suggested, Germany is not conducting a bilateral mission in Mali." The Federal Republic is part of a United Nations mission together with the African Union.
"In such multilateral operations, the principle of 'in together - out together' applies," warned the Green and emphasized: "It is shocking that the Union has obviously learned nothing from the consequences of the uncoordinated withdrawal from Afghanistan."
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag is voting today on a motion by the CDU and CSU, according to which the withdrawal of German troops from the West African country should take place "by the end of 2023 at the latest".
The mission has now become pointless, said Florian Hahn (CSU), the Union's defense policy spokesman, to SPIEGEL.
“Our soldiers should be able to celebrate at home again this Christmas,” he demanded.
His parliamentary colleague Thomas Erndl (CSU) referred to the recent vote in the UN Security Council, in which Mali voted alongside Moscow against a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
“With the open support for Russia's war of aggression, the Malian coup government is no longer a partner for us.
We should initiate the withdrawal of our soldiers without further delay," the Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee told SPIEGEL.
Regardless of the political debate, according to SPIEGEL information, the Bundeswehr has already begun gradually withdrawing equipment that is not urgently needed from Mali.
Contact: Marina.Kormbaki@spiegel.de, Matthias.Gebauer@spiegel.de