German parliament votes to extend Mali military mission for last time

By Anadolu Staff

BERLIN (AA) - German lawmakers on Friday voted in favor of extending the Bundeswehr’s military deployment in Mali for one final year.

A total of 375 German lawmakers, mostly from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s left-liberal coalition government, voted in favor of the mission, while 263 lawmakers voted against it, and one lawmaker abstained.

The military mission was extended for the last time, and German troops will gradually withdraw from the West African country until May 31, 2024.

The main opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), which has called for pulling out troops at an earlier date, voted against the government’s motion.

Scholz’s coalition government insisted that German troops should stay for a longer period to allow the UN to make the necessary adjustments, and support the political transition process in the country.

The parliament’s approval will allow the government to deploy up to 1,400 soldiers as part of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

The German armed forces suffered serious problems in Mali in the past couple of months due to political tensions between Berlin and Mali’s military rulers.