German government again suspends military peacekeeping mission in Mali | Abroad

It is not the first time that the Germans have stopped their mission. In August, due to a similar dispute over airspace, transport flights and reconnaissance operations were halted. At the beginning of last week, these were resumed after the Malians finally released the airspace. There are currently more than a thousand German soldiers present in Mali. Most are located in the north of the country.

The UN mission Minusma has been trying to fight jihadists in Mali since 2013. The country, which has a population of some 20 million, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is widely regarded as highly unstable. Since the last coup in 2021, the country has been led by a transitional military government. He is considered very Russian-minded.

The United Nations Security Council decided in June to extend the military mission in Mali (Munisma) for another year. The mission in the West African country is the UN’s largest and most dangerous mission, also because Russia exercises influence with mercenaries from the Wagner Group and the political situation is very unstable after a coup d’état by the military junta last year.

Since January, the UN mission has been co-led by Dutch Lieutenant General Kees Matthijssen. The mission consists of a force of nearly 14,000 peacekeepers, civilians who provide humanitarian aid and help build democracy in the country, and police officers who train their Malian colleagues.

The Netherlands supported Minusma until May this year with a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and about 90 soldiers. From mid-2014 to early 2017, four Dutch Apache attack helicopters were active in Mali.