armed forces
Lambrecht against withdrawal from Mali
“We don’t make it that easy for the Russians”: Christine Lambrecht. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
“We will not give way, we won’t make it that easy for the Russians”: Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht rules out a withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from the crisis state of Mali. The reason: the Russian mercenaries.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has rejected a withdrawal of the German armed forces from the West African crisis state of Mali because of the Russian mercenary company Wagner operating there.
“We won’t give way, we won’t make it that easy for the Russians,” said the SPD politician to the “Welt am Sonntag”. “Moscow will not be able to automatically persuade the West to withdraw wherever Russia does not want to see us by sending mercenaries.” However, Lambrecht also made demands on the Malian government.
Mali’s military-dominated interim government recently admitted the presence of Russian trainers in the country and stressed that it had given them the same mandate as the EU training mission EUTM. Germany, France, Great Britain and other countries have accused her of having brought mercenaries from the Russian company Wagner into the country, which Mali’s interim government has so far denied. The European Union accuses Wagner of inciting violence and intimidating civilians and sanctioned the organization on December 13, 2021.
Lambrecht also made demands on the Malian government in the “Welt am Sonntag”. “If you want the Bundeswehr in the country, then you have to make sure that the conditions are right.” The soldiers must be able to move freely and be protected as best as possible. This also includes protection by drones. “I will make it very clear to the Malian government that it cannot be the case that elections are suspended for five years or that they work with mercenaries who are guilty of serious human rights violations.”
Lambrecht had already said in the Bundestag in mid-January that she was demanding a return to democracy from the military junta in Mali. The West African country must hold new elections quickly and not in five years.
Mali, with around 20 million inhabitants, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered to be extremely unstable politically. Since the last putsch in May, the country has been led by a transitional military government. Islamist terrorist groups have been troubling the crisis-ridden state for years. The former colonial power France is active in the region with thousands of military in the fight against terrorism. The Bundeswehr is deployed in Mali with a good 1,350 soldiers as part of the EUTM and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA.