Germany will withdraw its armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from the UN peacekeeping mission in jihadist-hit Mali by the middle of 2024, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit has announced.
"The Federal Government decided today to propose to the Bundestag to extend the mandate of the Bundeswehr mission in Mali [within the framework of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA] in May 2023 for the last time by a year in order to bring this mission to a structured end after 10 years," Hebestreit told a briefing on Tuesday.
Hebestreit noted that the decision was made taking into account elections slated to be held in Mali in February 2024.
In September, the German military reportedly resumed its participation in MINUSMA after a four-week break.
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht suspended the deployment of German soldiers in Mali in mid-August after the Malian government repeatedly denied them flyover rights, which prevented the rotation of troops of the UN mission. However, a few days later, an agreement was reached between the United Nations and the Malian authorities.
Currently, the MINUSMA mission for the Bundeswehr is reportedly the largest abroad, and is also considered the most dangerous. In total, about 1,100 Bundeswehr soldiers participate in the UN mission.
MINUSMA was established by a Security Council resolution on April 25, 2013. The mission is responsible for the protection of the civilian population, the observance of human rights and the creation of conditions for the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Germany's announcement comes as earlier, on November 14, the United Kingdom announced that it would withdraw its peacekeeping forces from the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Mali.
Sweden and Canada, among other nations, have also decided to leave the West African country.
The Western countries' decisions to withdraw their forces from Mali takes place amid continuing protests demanding that MINUSMA leave the country, with some protestors reportedly accusing MINUSMA of undermining Mali's sovereignty.