Last Tuesday, the German government announced that it plans to wind down the country’s participation in a U.N. military mission in Mali by the middle of 2024.
Tensions have grown between Mali, its African neighbors and the West after Mali’s government allowed Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to deploy on its territory.
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht at a discussion in Berlin said that the Malian soldiers who were so well trained went out and fought with Russian forces.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, had said in a brief statement that the government will propose to parliament granting a final one-year extension to the mission in Mali in May.
German military missions overseas require a mandate from parliament, which is typically granted on an annual basis.
