Germany pulls out of Mali in 2024, and the military junta drives out French aid organizations

AFP

NOS news

Germany is also ending its military presence in Mali. All 1,000 German soldiers must have left the West African country by May 2024. Germany’s Mali mission has been in doubt for some time: like other European countries, the country is at odds with the military junta in Bamako.

A government spokesman says the Germans will stay until 2024 to ensure a steady handover. This was in view of the elections to be held in February that year. The Bundestag still needs to agree to complete the task.

About 1,000 troops are stationed in Mali, mainly near the northern city of Gao, and this year the U.N. It was among the top 10 major contributors to peacekeeping operations. Other European countries have already announced or completed their withdrawal. For example, the United Kingdom announced last week that it was bringing home 300 of its soldiers.

France announced in February that it will play a key role in the mission Departure at. In August, the last French soldiers left the country after nine years. According to Paris, this is related to two coups in Mali in two years. Dutch troops Leave earlier.

Wagner group

Several European countries with troops in Mali also oppose the presence of the Russian Wagner group’s mercenaries, including Gao. The United Nations accuses Wagner of executions, torture and disappearances in countries where the agency operates, such as Syria.

According to the Malian junta’s reading, these are Russian instructors helping Mali buy weapons from Russia. But Europe sees in Wagner’s presence an attempt to expand the Russian sphere of influence.

French aid decision

Before the weekend, France went a step further: Paris announced it would freeze aid to Mali. Aid agencies will continue to receive French aid. But the junta announced that French aid organizations and organizations collaborating with France would no longer be welcome in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of Malians rely on such aid. Experts fear Mali is becoming increasingly isolated due to Western withdrawal.

years of service

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali was set up in 2013 after jihadist groups overran much of the country. The French army was able to push back the jihadists by taking action in the former French colony. They received military support in the form of an international force called MINUSMA. That UN There were 15,000 soldiers, including the Dutch, on the mission.

The country has experienced three coups since 2012. Since a coup in 2021, the country has been ruled by a pro-Russian military government. A year ago, Dutch Lt. Gen. Kees Mathijsen told the U.N.

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