Germany eyes extension on military mandate in Mali

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - Germany announced on Wednesday that it was seeking an extension of the mandate for its soldiers serving in UN and EU missions in Mali.

Government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said the government agreed to raise its contingent in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) peacekeeping mission to a maximum of 1,400 troops from around 1,100.

She also announced the government's decision to downsize the number of German troops in the EU training mission in Mali, halving its upper limit from 600 to 300 with most of these to be deployed in neighboring Niger.

Hoffmann added that these resolutions must also be approved by the Bundestag, or German federal parliament.

In the medium term, the German soldiers' stay in these missions will depend on political developments in Mali and they can be withdrawn if necessary, she added.

The official also noted that the EU suspended its training mission in Mali on April 5 due to the current political situation in the West African nation.