Germany to Pull Troops From Mali by Mid-2024

Germany will withdraw its armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from the UN peacekeeping mission in jihadist-hit Mali by the middle of 2024, according to German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

"The Federal Government decided today to propose to the Bundestag to extend the mandate of the Bundeswehr mission in Mali [within the framework of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA] in May 2023 for the last time by a year in order to bring this mission to a structured end after 10 years," Hebestreit told a briefing on Tuesday.

Hebestreit mentioned that the decision was taking into account the elections scheduled to take place in Mali in February 2024.

In September, the German military was reported to have resumed its participation in MINUSMA after a four-week break.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht suspended the deployment of German soldiers to Mali in mid-August after the Malian government repeatedly denied them the right to fly, preventing the rotation of the UN mission's forces. However, a few days later, an agreement was reached between the United Nations and the Malian authorities.

At the moment, the Bundeswehr's MINUSMA mission is said to be the largest abroad, and it is also considered the most dangerous. In total, about 1,100 soldiers of the Bundeswehr are participating in the UN mission.

MINUSMA was established by a Security Council resolution on April 25, 2013. The mission is responsible for protecting the civilian population, respecting human rights, and creating conditions for the provision of humanitarian assistance.

Germany's announcement comes earlier, on November 14, the United Kingdom announced that it would withdraw its peacekeepers from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Sweden and Canada, among others, also decided to leave the West African country.

The decisions of European countries to withdraw their forces from Mali come amid ongoing protests calling for MINUSMA to leave the country, with some protesters reportedly accusing MINUSMA of undermining Mali's sovereignty.