Virtually all Bundeswehr soldiers have left Mali
According to the mission command, the German soldiers initially left Mali for the Senegalese capital Dakar, from where they will then fly on to Germany. The soldiers are expected to arrive at the airbase in Wunstorf near Hanover on Friday. A return rally is planned there with Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD).
The commander of the last German Minusma contingent, Colonel Heiko Bohnsack, called the redeployment a "great team effort" under "difficult conditions".
According to the Operational Command, a total of around 27,500 Bundeswehr soldiers have served with Minusma over the past ten years. Three soldiers lost their lives during the mission.
Mali has been the scene of a rebellion by Islamist extremists for years, which began in 2012 in the north of the West African country and later spread to the neighboring countries of Niger and Burkina Faso. Since 2013, Minusma has been tasked with helping to pacify the country and protect the civilian population.
Under the military junta in power since a coup in 2020, cooperation had steadily deteriorated. In mid-June, the junta demanded an immediate end to the UN mission.
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- Following their departure from Mali, the German soldiers are expected to fly from Dakar to Germany for their return.
- The operational command has overseen the deployment of around 27,500 Bundeswehr soldiers in Mali over the past decade.
- The German soldiers left Mali and headed towards Dakar before their scheduled flight back to Germany.
- The federal armed forces soldiers will arrive in Wunstorf near Hanover on Friday, where a rally is planned with Boris Pistorius, the Federal Minister of Defense.
- Colonel Heiko Bohnsack, the commander of the last German Minusma contingent, praised the redeployment as a "great team effort" under "difficult conditions".
- In order to facilitate their return, virtually all Bundeswehr soldiers have left Mali and are now in transit to Germany.
- The German soldiers' journey from Mali to Dakar is part of their larger plan to return to Germany after completing their mission.
- Several German armed forces soldiers have already arrived in Wunstorf, preparing for the return rally on Sunday with Federation Minister Boris Pistorius.
Source: www.stern.de
