Defense - Last soldiers back in Germany after Mali deployment
The last Bundeswehr soldiers involved in the UN mission in Mali, West Africa, have landed back in Germany. The 304 soldiers flew from the Senegalese capital Dakar to Wunstorf near Hanover in two A400M military transporters and an A330MRTT. There, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) received them in the presence of family members to pay tribute to their achievements.
The UN peacekeeping mission Minusma in Mali was set up in spring 2013 to stabilize the country and help enforce a peace agreement between the government and rebels. However, Islamist terrorist groups, some of which are allied with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist group, are once again spreading in the Sahel region. A conflict between Mali and separatist Tuareg rebels is also threatening to break out again.
This summer, Mali's military government nevertheless demanded the withdrawal of all 12,000 UN soldiers after expanding its cooperation with Russia. The UN Security Council then initiated the end of Minusma. Germany had already decided to end its involvement. The withdrawal took months and was complicated by a military coup in neighboring Niger.
The conclusion of Minusma marks the end of the Bundeswehr 's second major deployment outside Europe after its withdrawal from Afghanistan. The mission in Mali was recently regarded as its most dangerous deployment.
Bundeswehr on the Minusma mission
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- Following the conclusion of the UN peacekeeping mission Minusma in Lower Saxony's Wunstorf, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) expressed concerns about the resurgence of Islamist terrorist groups in Mali, some of which are aligned with al-Qaeda and ISIS.
- While Germany has ended its involvement in the Minusma mission, the Sahel region remains a hotbed of conflict, with Islamist terrorism and the potential for another conflict between Mali's government and separatist Tuareg rebels looming on the horizon.
- Despite the challenges and risks associated with the mission, Lower Saxony's federal armed forces have played a crucial role in supporting the UN initiative in Mali, demonstrating their commitment to international peacekeeping efforts.
- The withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from Mali marks a significant milestone for German defense policy, as Germany seeks to balance its obligations to global peacekeeping efforts with its domestic priorities.
- The experience of the Mali deployment has highlighted the need for Germany to maintain a robust and flexible defense capability, capable of responding to evolving threats and challenges in an increasingly unstable world.
- As Lower Saxony's soldiers return to Hanover after their deployment in Mali, the UN and the international community continue to grapple with the challenges posed by Islamist terrorism and conflict in the Sahel region, with the potential for further deployments and interventions in the future.
Source: www.stern.de
