Germany’s Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Thursday said the German troops will continue to stay in Mali until 2024 only if the junta allows them to operate freely and elections are held, reported The Anadolu Agency.
During a visit to Bamako on Thursday, Lambrecht said Germany’s presence depended on being able to “fulfil our operational agreement, fulfil our mission within (the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali), a reconnaissance mission, which unfortunately has not been possible for many weeks.”
The German government “has taken the decision to continue supporting the transition process until May 2024, but this is linked to conditions which must be met”, Lambrecht said at a meeting with her Malian counterpart Colonel Sadio Camara.
Last month, Berlin had announced its plans to withdraw its forces from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Germany’s defence minister said a second condition for the German forces to continue is that Bamako must hold elections in February 2024.
Mali has been struggling to control a jihadist insurgency since 2012 due to which thousands of people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
Lambrecht said the German government will have to review its decision if any of these conditions were not met. She added that Germany has currently about 1,100 troops in Mali.
Germany is the seventh country to announce suspension of its participation in the UN mission. The future of the MINUSMA mission is in doubt as violent activities continue to rise in the center, north, and east of Mali.
Mali witnessed a military coup in August 2020, and a second takeover in May 2021.
Germany’s military has been a part of the UN mission in Mali since 2013, with a presence of up to 1,400 soldiers, mostly deployed near Gao in the north. But it has recently faced increasing difficulties, repeatedly having to suspend reconnaissance patrols after the military junta denied over-flight rights.
