Germany is counting on nine to twelve months to withdraw its soldiers from Mali, a withdrawal imposed by the new realities of the country under the leadership of the military, but which does not end development aid, two ministers said on Thursday April 13 during their visit.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, appointed in January, visited the German contingent of the UN blue helmets mission (Minusma) in Gao (north), in view of this withdrawal already announced by May 2024. He was accompanied by Minister for Development Svenja Schulze.
"We're not talking about moving a family of five with a truck. It's a military logistics operation that we don't arrange like that and which requires the next nine to twelve months depending on the circumstances," he said.
Germany has several hundred soldiers among the approximately 12,000 deployed by Minusma in this country plagued by the spread of jihadism and violence of all kinds. It is the largest Western contribution, according to a mission report published this week.
A commitment on the ground compromised
Mr. Pistorius stressed the importance of the German contingent, especially for reconnaissance missions. But this commitment is "no longer possible in practice for a few months", he said. "It was not the [German] engagement that failed, it was the conditions that caused that engagement to fail," he said without elaborating.
The colonels who took power by force in 2020 broke the alliance with France and its European partners against the jihadists and turned militarily and politically to Russia. They joined the assistance of hundreds of men described according to sources as Russian army instructors or mercenaries from Wagner, a Russian private security group with decried actions.
The junta has also imposed restrictions on Minusma operations. The UN expressed its concern about the security of the operations of the blue helmets after the departure of the French, but also of other contingents. Several countries have decided to stop or suspend their participation in Minusma in recent months. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this week that Jordan in turn informed the UN in February of its decision to end its contribution immediately.
"If we could do what we came for, we would stay," Pistorius said. Her development colleague, however, underlined that the German civil aid, effective since independence, was also very much appreciated. "The message we wanted to send is that even if the military engagement ends, the cooperation for development continues," she 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 field, ”she assured.
