Germany supports France in its decision to begin pulling the troops out of Mali and expects the move to have an impact on the entire foreign presence in the West African country, the German minister of state at the federal foreign office, Katja Keul, said on Thursday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2022) Germany supports France in its decision to begin pulling the troops out of Mali and expects the move to have an impact on the entire foreign presence in the West African country, the German minister of state at the federal foreign office, Katja Keul, said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the Elysee Palace said that France and its allies in the European mission Takuba decided to initiate withdrawal from Mali over disagreements with the country's authorities who came to power after a coup.
"We are in complete agreement with France and our partners on this matter and its consequences: The Barkhane and Takuba missions are no longer feasible for France on Malian territory under these conditions. This will also have an impact on our joint international engagement, and we are liaising closely with our partners on this," Keul said in a statement, published by the German Federal Foreign Office.
The new Malian military leadership has not taken any steps toward a return to democracy so far, but keeps hindering engagement of France, Keul added.
"At the same time, our joint and long-term objectives in Mali have not changed, namely our will to improve people's security and the region's stability. Our engagement in Mali must be based on whether and how we can achieve these aims. In this context, we need to distinguish between the EU training mission EUTM Mali and the UN stabilisation mission MINUSMA," Keul said.
In late January, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said that the conditions of engagement of the French troops in Mali are deteriorating, so the forces cannot stay in the country "at any price."
France launched the Barkhane counterterrorist mission in the Sahel region in 2014, involving forces of Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania. In summer of 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Operation Barkhane would be transformed into an international counterterrorist alliance. France began reducing its presence in Mali in December 2021 after the military coup in May.
