German army resumes reconnaissance mission in Mali











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BERLIN (Reuters) – The German army resumed reconnaissance missions in Mali as part of Minusma on Tuesday, more than three weeks after suspending most of its operations due to a dispute with the Malian junta over the overflight permissions.

Berlin has deployed around 1,000 troops to Mali, most of them near the northern city of Gao, where their main task is to carry out reconnaissance by helicopter, in particular for the peacekeeping mission of the UN.

“Troops can resume patrols beyond Gao,” the German military said on Twitter, lifting the suspension announced in mid-August.

The Minusma was created in 2013 to support foreign and local troops fighting against Islamist groups. However, tensions have been observed between the Malian authorities and the mission in recent months.

The latest dispute between the ruling junta in Bamako and the German mission calls into question their longer-term collaboration.

Europe’s relations with Mali have deteriorated since the 2020 military coup and since the government brought in the Wagner Group, a private military company linked to the Kremlin, to support its fight against the insurgents.

On Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that Berlin could withdraw its troops in turn, after France, if the authorities did not meet their security demands.

(Report Sabine Siebold, French version Augustin Turpin, edited by Sophie Louet)










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