The German government said on Wednesday it had decided to end its participation in the UN mission in Mali by next May over problems with the ruling junta. “Whether we want it to or not, what happens in the Sahel affects us,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement. It has since August 2020 been ruled by a military junta, which broke a long-standing alliance with France and other Western partners in the fight against jihadism. Pistorius pledged last month on a visit to the region that Berlin would stay committed to security in the Sahel after its troops left Mali. The German cabinet in March agreed for up to 60 German soldiers to participate in the new EU-led military mission EUMPM, based in Niger.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 04, 2023 03:07 UTC