“We have to get out of Mali”

What should the Bundeswehr achieve in Mali? In the mandate of the Bundestag, which was formulated by the government under the auspices of the foreign office, the answer to this question is, as so often, formulated more lyrically than concretely. The aim of the engagement, it says, is to “curb instability and violence and to counteract further aggravation of the political and humanitarian crises in the G-5 Sahel states”.

It is about protecting people and enabling development cooperation, said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". The international community has a responsibility to "ensure enough security that children can go to school safely, market women can go to market and herdsmen can drive their cattle out to pasture".

Outside the Federal Foreign Office and the Greens parliamentary group, however, the conviction that the up to 1,400 German soldiers, who contribute in particular reconnaissance and logistics skills within the United Nations Minusma mission, is fading, can actually fulfill this task. "We have to get out of Mali," says SPD member of the Bundestag Joe Weingarten WELT. "The task with which the Bundeswehr started in Mali in 2015 can no longer be implemented under the current conditions."

In 2015, an agreement for peace and reconciliation was concluded between the Malian government and various insurgents, the implementation of which is to be monitored by Minusma, but has not made any progress for seven years. The Bundeswehr continues to do everything "every day to support the Malian government in implementing the peace agreement in the north of the country and in restoring state authority in the center of Mali," said Weingarten. However, the troops had to “make do with very limited resources on site”. Mali is four times the size of the Federal Republic, with 1,400 German soldiers, the implementation of the order is "simply impossible".

The defense politician states: "If we compare our deployed resources and our political goals, then there is a large remainder." This is particularly true since France withdrew from the country with its combat mission aimed at eliminating terrorists: "What's left remains is the German contingent, which is supposed to fulfill a vague political mission with narrow military means. Without a clear task, it is irresponsible to keep our soldiers in Mali.”

Weingarten also points out that the Malian government is currently in the hands of a military junta that came to power with two coups. In the meantime, this government is also cooperating with Russian mercenaries and has "repeatedly acknowledged our presence" by withdrawing overflight rights for the German armed forces. The social democrat concludes that being a leading power also means “clearly showing others the consequences of their actions. At the same time, we must balance our ambitions with our own resources.”

Weingarten's conclusion is therefore clear: "We should withdraw our troops from Mali as quickly as possible." The protection of the Sahel zone can also be provided from the neighboring country of Niger, in which the Bundeswehr is also present.

The MP is by no means alone in this view. The Ministry of Defense is concerned about the safety of German soldiers due to the increasing threat of terrorism. The FDP MP Marcus Faber sees the condition laid down in the mandate broken, that the Bundeswehr must be able to fall back on air support from combat helicopters “continuously”. Two armed helicopters provided by El Salvador are currently only temporarily available because they are also used by other parts of the UN force. In the WELT interview, Faber therefore also called for "getting into the deduction planning".

And the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, also asked the critical question: “Can the order still be fulfilled at all?” The SPD politician pointed out that not only France had withdrawn with its anti-terrorist mission, but itself partner nations involved in Minusma such as Great Britain, Sweden or the Netherlands are also “increasingly saying goodbye”. Högl shares the foreign office's view that a military presence in the Sahel makes sense. The only question is: "Aren't there alternatives, for example to strengthen engagement in Niger or other countries in the region?"

The FDP MP Christoph Hoffmann had suggested in WELT that the existing cooperation between the Ivory Coast and the federal police should be expanded to include a military presence.

Högl does not believe that the argument put forward by diplomats that the Russians should be left out in Mali is unfounded. "Yes, this danger would be there," said the military commissioner. "But that's happening now. And the threat of terror is growing, which ultimately means that we would have to be even more present, that we would have to operate the mission more robustly - but after the French and other partners have withdrawn, this is difficult to do and the Bundeswehr cannot afford it." Her conclusion : "The mission must not become a never-ending story from which we cannot find the exit."

What happens when such arguments are ignored is what the MPs experience in every week of the Bundestag session. A commission of inquiry and a committee of inquiry are currently working on the mistakes of the Afghanistan mission.

"Kick-off Politics" is WELT's daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.