After the attack on Bundeswehr soldiers in Mali a good three weeks ago, there was a debate in Germany about the continuation of the deployment there. The UN now wants to send reinforcements.
After the attack with twelve injured Bundeswehr soldiers in Mali, UN Secretary General António Guterres wants to expand the mission in the West African country.
In an internal letter, Guterres asked the UN Security Council for a further 2069 uniformed men – including 1730 military personnel and more than 300 members of police units. The letter has been submitted to the German Press Agency. So far, a little more than 13,000 military personnel have been authorized by the Security Council for the UN’s Minusma mission.
Guterres argued against the most powerful UN body with the “increasingly complex challenges” of the mission and the increasing terrorist threat. “In view of the recent complex attacks on the bases and the ongoing attacks on patrols and convoys”, an expansion of the deployment would also serve to protect the soldiers. Guterres wrote that there were gaps, especially in air support and in the medical field. The required units include three rapid reaction forces with a total of 750 people and up to ten additional helicopters with 260 emergency services.
A good three weeks ago, a suicide bomber attacked a patrol northeast of the city of Gao with a car bomb. 13 UN soldiers were injured, twelve Germans and one Belgian. Three Germans suffered serious injuries. The Bundeswehr considers a letter of confession from the Islamist terrorist group JNIM, which is linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, to be authentic.
Around 900 German soldiers are currently involved in the UN Minusma mission, the upper limit drawn by the Bundestag is 1,100. The mission is intended to support the peace process in Mali. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer met with UN chief Guterres in New York shortly after the attack and talked to him about sharpening the mission’s goals.
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