By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Germany has announced plans to withdraw its soldiers taking part in the ongoing peacekeeping mission in Mali with effect from next year.
Within the period of nine to 12 months, the soldiers who are part of the UN peacekeeping mission will be brought home, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius hinted on Thursday during his visit to the contingent in Gao (north).
Appointed in January, the Minister who was accompanied by Development Minister Svenja Schulze, was quoted to have said the withdrawal of the troops will take place at a date not later than May, 2024.
“We are not talking about moving a family of five people with a truck. This is a military logistical operation that is not arranged like this and requires the next nine to twelve months depending on the circumstances,” he said.
A mission report released this week says Germany which has several hundred soldiers among the 12,000 so deployed by the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MINUSTAH) in Mali, is the largest western contributor of troops.
Mali currently under the military rule with several failed attempts to install civilian rule is confronted with the spread of jihadism and violence of all kinds.
Military Generals who took power by force in 2020 broke the alliance with France and its European allies against the jihadists.
Mali also looked up to Russia for political and military support, enlisting the help of hundreds of Russian military instructors and mercenaries Wagner group, who actions have been criticised by the West.
The junta in Mali has also imposed restrictions on the operations of the UN Mission in Mali. The U.N. has expressed concern about the safety of peacekeepers’ operations after the departure of the French and other contingents.
“The message we wanted to send is that even if the military engagement ends, development cooperation continues,” the Development Minister in her contribution said, citing access to water or agriculture.
“We can, for example, pilot projects here in Gao, even from Bamako. It is possible, we have a long experience in this area,” she said.
