Germany is considering an early exit from its mission in Mali

BERLIN, 30 january (Reuters) – Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told German troops UNis considering pulling out of its stabilization mission in Mali earlier than planned because they are unable to fulfill their mandate under current conditions, he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung in comments published on Monday.

The government announced in November that troops would be withdrawn by May 2024, but said they could be withdrawn earlier if drones, which allow troops to move outside army bases, cannot be flown.

“If our soldiers can’t leave the base, or if they can move in a small radius around it because drones can’t fly, they’re not fulfilling their mandate,” he told the newspaper. “And then the mission is a waste of money and time.”

According to him, drones were last able to fly before Christmas.

Mali has been gripped by Islamist violence in 2012 after jihadist groups took over a Tuareg separatist uprising in the north. International military despite the intervention, the violence spread to other countries in the Sahel region of West Africa.

By Thomas Escritt report; Edited by Matthias Williams

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2023-01-30 20:49:53
Source – reuters

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