AA / Berlin / Ayhan Simsek
Germany’s elected officials on Friday voted to extend the Bundeswehr’s military deployment to Mali for a final one year.
A total of 375 German MPs, mostly from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s left-liberal coalition government, voted in favor of the mission, while 263 elected members voted against and one abstained.
The military mission has finally been extended and German troops are gradually withdrawing from the West African country by May 31, 2024.
The main opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), which have called for an early withdrawal of troops, backed the government’s proposal.
Scholz’s coalition government insisted that German troops stay longer to allow the UN to make necessary adjustments and support the country’s political transition.
Parliamentary approval would allow the government to deploy up to 1,400 troops as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Germany’s armed forces in Mali have faced serious problems over the past two months due to political tensions between Berlin and Mali’s military rulers.
* Translated from English by Munir Benuri.
Source: AA
