Berlin has agreed to the inclusion of its troops in a European Union training mission in Niger but the future of its troopers serving in neighbouring Mali hangs in the balance.
A European military mission will soon be launched in Niger to train and provide technical support to local armed forces in the fight against jihadist groups. In principle, it is at the end of this mission that the German parliament should decide whether or not to continue its mission in Mali. Last November, Germany had indicated that its soldiers, more than a thousand deployed in Mali, will remain there until March 2024.
But the new German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, has not ruled out the possibility of shortening the mandate of Bundeswehr troops stationed in Mali. According to him, “staying in Mali until May 2024 is absolutely not relevant under the current circumstances.” He was referring to some of the hassles faced by MINUSMA peacekeepers in Mali who no longer have the same freedom of movement as before. For this reason, he suggested an early withdrawal of the German military from Mali.
The German Foundation for Science and Politics (SWP), a Berlin-based think tank that advises the federal government, was more direct, stating that “UN peacekeeping has no future in Mali. The political framework conditions for the MINUSMA mission, which has existed since 2013, are worse than ever. It does not have the full support of the UN Security Council, let alone the Malian government.
In the meantime, the German military in Mali could reinforce the force already deployed in Niger. In the new European military mission to be launched in Niger, Germany plans to initially deploy up to 60 soldiers, a number that will surely continue to grow.
Last December, the European Union decided to deploy a three-year military mission in Niger. Initially, 50 to 100 European soldiers, then up to 300, will help the country improve its logistics and military infrastructure.
Subject to several deadly attacks, including one at the end of February, Niger is not immune to the insecurity in Mali, even though there is no portion of the territory under the control of armed groups. Several Western military contingents are deployed in Niger, including the French, Americans, Italians and Germans. The latter recently completed their training mission for the Nigerien armed forces initiated in 2018.
About 1,100 German soldiers are still stationed and confined in Mali, mostly at the MINUSMA super-camp in Gao.
Their main task is to collect reconnaissance data for the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA), which is struggling to carry out its mandate because of multiple disagreements with the transitional authorities. The latter have chosen instead for a stronger military partnership with Russia. This is one of the reasons why Germany
decided last November to withdraw its troops from Mali by May 2024. Other MINUSMA contingents, such as Sweden, Great Britain, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin, have also made the same decision.
MD/ac/fss/abj/APA