The country of 20 million people has seen two takeovers by putschists in three years, and large parts of the country are controlled by Islamist militias. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the civil war to neighboring countries. The military junta now in power, with interim President Assimi Goïta, seems anything but interested in peacekeepers ensuring the stability of their country.
It seems that the Malian generals prefer to work with the Russian private army “Wagner Group”. According to human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Russian mercenaries were involved in a massacre in the Mopti region in which hundreds of civilians were killed.
German cooperation with the Malian government has hit rock bottom. Since October this year, German troops have only been allowed to launch reconnaissance drones with permission from the Malian government, which makes field work extremely difficult. According to representatives of the Bundeswehr, permits for drone flights are often not granted at all or are granted late.
The Bundeswehr had three objectives in Mali, explains political scientist Kaim. “Bundeswehr soldiers must ensure security and stability in the country, work well with the Malian government and show that Germany takes its international responsibility within the framework of the United Nations seriously.” All three goals were missed, Kaim said. The country is currently more and more precarious, the Malian government is working against and not with the Bundeswehr and the most Western allies have already withdrawn (France) or would have announced their departure (Great Britain, Czech Republic, Canada).
According to Kaim, he does not know how the Bundeswehr should ensure security in Mali if, as is currently the case, it can only protect itself.
Of the The criticism that the presence of German troops in Mali brought nothing to the population is contradicted by Spellerberg. In the area around the German military base in Gao, for example, the situation is much safer and many people are fleeing there because there are fewer attacks. A well-planned retirement is extremely important, Spellerberg says. This applies both to our own soldiers and to our international partners. From a purely logistical point of view, the withdrawal could not have been done more quickly.
One thing is clear: the compromise reached yesterday at government level is not yet a final decision. The Bundestag decides on the deployments of the Bundeswehr. However, it can be assumed that next May the parliament will accept an extension of Mali’s mandate with an exit timetable, according to Spellerberg.
If that were to happen, nothing would stand in the way of securing the next elections next year and the presidential election in 2024. Whether it will ever come to that remains to be seen. In fact, there should have been elections in Mali in February of this year. However, the ruling military junta canceled the elections.
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