The German government is temporarily suspending the deployment of its Bundeswehr in the West African country of Mali. The reason is disagreements with the local government. The Malian military government has again denied the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA the right to overflight.
This behavior hinders the deployment of the German Bundeswehr in the UN mission, the German Defense Ministry said on Friday. “A planned personnel change is therefore not possible. This has an impact on our deployment, because the safety of our military has the highest priority,” said a spokesman. Since the overflight rights have been denied, measures should be taken and the “operations of our reconnaissance troops and the transport flights with CH-53 (a medium transport helicopter, please note) discontinued until further notice”.
Willing to continue contributing to the mission
In principle, however, Germany is still willing to participate in the international peacekeeping mission. That only makes sense if it is supported there by the government, says government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) criticized Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara on Twitter. He only promised her on Thursday that there would be no further requirements for the assignment. Just a day later, the overflight rights were denied.
The UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA has been based in the crisis-ravaged country of Mali since 2013. The UN Security Council only extended its mandate for a year at the end of June. The country of about 20 million people has experienced three military coups since 2012. Tensions have risen in recent months, partly due to the cooperation between the Malian military junta and the Russian mercenary group Wagner. This would be close to the Kremlin and commit massive human rights violations.
France has already withdrawn a large part of its soldiers. The Austrian armed forces are involved in the peace mission with two soldiers. There are also 23 people who are part of the EU training mission EUTM for the Malian army.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
