As the United Nations moves towards dismantling its peacekeeping mission in Mali, Germany has commenced the withdrawal of its troops from the West African nation. This significant move follows the UN Security Council’s decision in June to end the decade-long peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA (UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali). The German contingent, primarily based at the Camp Castor base near Gao, started dismantling and repatriating their equipment back to Germany this week.
The decision aligns with Mali’s shifting political landscape since a 2020 coup that brought a military junta to power. The junta’s alignment with Russia, especially through the engagement of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, has been a key factor in the deterioration of Mali’s relations with the UN and former colonial power France. This alignment and the invitation of Wagner Group fighters to assist in combating rebels have significantly influenced the dynamics of international involvement in Mali, prompting France to withdraw its troops in 2022 after nearly a decade in the country.
German soldiers leave Camp Castor in Gao, April 2022 | Kay Nietfeld/dpa/Alamy
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius indicated that Germany aims to expedite its withdrawal while maintaining order, with the process expected to be completed by May 2024. Germany had deployed about 1,000 soldiers as part of MINUSMA, primarily focused on reconnaissance missions near Gao. The government’s plan, as stated by spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, is to extend Germany’s commitment to MINUSMA for the last time in May 2023 for a year, marking a structured end to their 10-year mission.
MINUSMA, established in 2013, has been crucial in supporting Mali‘s security against jihadi rebels affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a Tuareg-led separatist revolt. Despite the mission’s efforts, Mali’s government has faced criticism for its human rights record, particularly with the involvement of the Wagner Group. This group, funded by a Kremlin-associated oligarch, has been accused in a Wall Street Journal investigation of participating in multiple massacres in Mali since March.
