With 375 votes in favor and 263 against, the German Parliament agreed to extend its military mission in Mali for another year, until May 2024.
According to the VNA correspondent in Berlin, on May 26, with 375 votes in favor and 263 against, the German Parliament agreed to extend its military mission in Mali for another year, until May 2024.
In November 2022, the German government announced that it might withdraw all of its troops participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali (MINUSMA) by the end of the year.
However, the decision and timing of withdrawing from MINUSMA caused tension within Germany's ruling coalition.
Berlin currently has around 1,000 soldiers deployed in Mali, mostly stationed near the northern town of Gao, where their primary mission is to gather intelligence for MINUSMA.
The German military has been present in Mali since 2013 as part of the MINUSMA mission. Germany's 10-year mission there is to support the country in its fight against jihadist groups that pose a growing threat in the Sahel.
The presence of German soldiers is partly intended to compensate for the shortage of French troops after the latter withdrew its army in early 2022.
Located in West Africa, Mali has faced strong Islamist extremist activity in the north for the past decade.
Rebel forces linked to the international terrorist network al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) have seized a significant territory, killing thousands and displacing millions more.
Furthermore, since 2020, the country has experienced two military coups, further complicating the situation.
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