Status: 18.09.2021 09:27 a.m.
After reports of a possible cooperation between Mali and Russian mercenaries, the voices are increasing to review the Bundeswehr mission in the country. The Chancellor candidates from the Union and the Greens also expressed skepticism about the mission.
The Chancellor candidates from the Union and the Greens question the Bundeswehr’s mission in Mali after receiving information about the activities of Russian mercenaries. “If Russian mercenaries are actually involved there, that calls into question the basis of the operation,” said Union candidate Armin Laschet of “Welt am Sonntag”. “We need all the information here quickly and then a decision soon.”
Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” that there had been two military coups under the eyes of EU and UN forces. If the Malian military government now makes common cause with Russian mercenaries, training for the Malian military must in any case be suspended.
Baerbock accused the federal government of trivializing the situation in Mali. “The federal government has been glossing over the situation in Mali for years,” she said. After the experiences in Afghanistan at the latest, the German mission in the West African crisis state must be reassessed. She thinks it is right to evaluate all foreign assignments independently in order to be able to adapt strategies sensibly and at an early stage.
Müller wants to continue helping civilians
Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller warned of new suffering for the civilian population in the West African country. “We view the current situation in Mali with great concern, especially with regard to the humanitarian situation,” said the CSU politician of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “The people in the Sahel region and in Mali in particular are particularly hard hit by terrorism and the effects of climate change,” he warned.
The federal government will therefore continue its aid, which is independent of the local military government, explained Müller. “Our measures are aimed at stabilizing the country and focus on the supply of drinking water and food security – especially in rural areas.” The current measures would not be implemented with the transitional government, but directly with our local partners.
Negotiations with the military company Wagner
In Berlin, the pressure for a quick review of the ongoing operations of German soldiers in Mali had already grown. There are currently around 1200 Bundeswehr soldiers in the country for a UN mission and an EU training mission. The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense informed the chairmen in the Bundestag on Friday that the leadership led by Colonel Assimi Goita from Mali, who had come to power in a military coup, was negotiating with Russian actors.
The subject of discussions is therefore a deployment of Russian mercenaries from the military company Wagner, which is supposed to be about training and personal protection. In view of these reports, France had threatened to withdraw its soldiers, and Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) said that consequences might have to be drawn.
The defense commissioner of the Bundestag, Eva Högl, had also called for a critical review of the Federal Armed Forces deployment. “After the experience with the withdrawal from Afghanistan we have to talk again about the purpose of the Mali mission,” said Högl to the newspapers of the “Funke Mediengruppe”. “We have to answer the question of whether the goal of ensuring stability in the country, among other things, is still realistic.” Should Russian mercenaries be deployed in Mali, “we have to talk to our international partners and the Defense Committee about the possible consequences.”
Defense Commissioner Högl calls for a review of the Mali operation
Vera Wolfskämpf, ARD Berlin, September 17, 2021 6:55 am