International troops are to provide security in the Sahel, also from bases in Mali. After tensions, France and Germany in particular are questioning their presence there.
Paris – The future of the international military presence in West African Mali is the subject of deliberations in Paris on the eve of a summit meeting between the EU and the African Union.
High-ranking representatives of the EU, African states in the region and other international stakeholders are expected to attend the informal meeting on Wednesday evening, which will focus on the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, according to the Élysée Palace on Tuesday. Among others, EU Council President Charles Michel, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, French President Emmanuel Macron and other heads of government are expected.
Whether decisions will be made and announced on Wednesday evening is open, it said. The goal is a coordinated approach. France in particular sees little prospect of maintaining its military presence in Mali. Recently, tensions between the government in Mali, which came to power with a military coup, and the former colonial power France had increased. The military junta also ordered Denmark to withdraw its soldiers from the country. There had already been a dispute about the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali and about a flight ban, which also affected the Bundeswehr.
Bundeswehr mission on the test bench
In Germany, too, there is a debate about the continuation of the Bundeswehr’s operations in Mali. She is involved in the country with more than 1,300 men and women in the EU training mission EUTM and the UN mission Minusma in support of the inner-Malian peace agreement. The current mandate is valid until May 31, 2022.
France is also massively active in West Africa with combat troops against Islamist militias; Mali is a focus. A number of armed groups are active in the states of the Sahel – an area that stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Some have pledged allegiance to the terrorist groups Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda.
At the beginning of February, the Malian leadership expelled the French ambassador. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had previously questioned the international fight against terrorism in Mali. In view of the deteriorating political and military situation in Mali, the status quo cannot be maintained. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also questions the Bundeswehr mission in Mali because of increasing tensions with the military junta.
In France, there have recently been growing doubts about the Mali mission, which has now lasted nine years. On the one hand, there are doubts about measurable successes in the fight against terrorism in the country, on the other hand, the deployment repeatedly costs the lives of French soldiers; in January, the 53rd soldier died since the mission began. In the run-up to the French presidential election in April, the Mali mission is also a domestic political issue. dpa
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