German lawmakers voted for the mission of German soldiers in Mali, with 375 in favor, 263 against and one abstention, according to Reuters.
The vote comes after Berlin aims to end its more than decade-long military mission in Mali by May 5.2024. This mission has recently been hampered by disputes with the military junta in Mali and the emergence of Russian-related forces.
Berlin has deployed about 1.000 troops to Mali, mostly near the northern town of Gao, where they carry out their primary mission of gathering information for the United Nations peacekeeping force MINUSMA.
A German soldier of the MINUSMA force in the town of Gao, Mali
MINUSMA was established in 2013 to support foreign and local armies against Islamic militants, but in recent months there have been many instances of tension between Malian authorities and MINUSMA.
MINUSMA has about 12.000 troops deployed in Mali. The three countries that contribute the most troops to MINUSMA are Chad, Bangladesh and Egypt.
Relations between Europe and Mali have deteriorated since the coup in 2020 and since the government invited mercenaries from the private military company Wagner (Russia) to assist in the fight against the rebels. wake up, according to Reuters.
