German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock on Wednesday accused the military regime in Mali of torpedoing the efforts of the Bundeswehr — the German military — after a series of bans and obstacles escalated tensions between the two countries.
He made the statement after Malian authorities revoked permission for a German transport aircraft to conduct overflights, further complicating the mission of the German armed forces in the West African state.
This measure prevents A400M transport flights, the Bundeswehr’s business administration explained to the Defense Committee of the Bundestag, the German lower house, on Wednesday.
For Mrs Burbock, the authorities in Mali are obstructing the mission of the German army. “Our commitment is torpedoed again and again,” the German foreign minister said during an official visit to Canada.
He described the situation as “anything but good” before adding that “there is no need to shy away: things are bad”.
However, he assured that Germany still has the will to continue participating in the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. “We want to stay in the Sahel, in Mali, the world needs us,” he insisted.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was deployed to the country following the Tuareg and jihadist insurgencies of 2012, early in the country’s ongoing crisis.
The loss of overflight rights followed the military junta’s decision to ban foreign troops from a sector of the capital’s airport that houses a UN base. All foreign military personnel, including 60 members of the Bundeswehr, are required to leave the Sahel Aviation Services facility soon.
The measure adds to the confusion over the status of the international peacekeeping mission.
Mali, a country of about 20 million in the heart of the Sahel, has been the scene of three military coups since 2012 and the situation is increasingly unstable. Jihadi organizations are escalating their activities in various regions.
Western powers are re-examining the commitments they made in Mali, faced with an increasingly hostile attitude from the military regime. France and other European countries have recently begun withdrawing troops involved in counter-terrorism operations.
Relations between Berlin and Bamako remain on a deteriorating trajectory, a factional MP participating in the coalition government underlined yesterday. “It would be naive to believe that we are dealing with coincidences, or misunderstandings,” Alexander Müller, the Free Democrats’ (FDP) defense spokesman, told the German Agency.
He pointed out that if the mood of the citizens of Mali changes, if foreign troops begin to be perceived as occupying forces, the situation for members of the German army will become even more dangerous.
Mr Miller called for the safety of the German military to be made a top priority, although he acknowledged that the Sahel would become even more volatile without the presence of foreign peacekeepers.
SOURCE: APE-ME
Source: Capital
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