The Lower House of the German Parliament approves the participation of German soldiers in the EU mission in Niger

BERLIN, 28 Apr. (DPA/EP) –

The Bundestag, the Lower House of the German Parliament, has approved this Friday the participation of German soldiers in the new European Union military cooperation mission in Niger (EUMPM, for its acronym in English).

The measure will enable the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) to allocate up to 60 troops to help reinforce the Nigerien armed forces fighting against jihadists and armed gangs. The approval contemplates that this cooperation at the military level is on until May 31, 2024.

“Terrorist groups have been able to expand their areas of operations to large areas of Mali, Burkina Faso and, to a certain extent, Niger. As a consequence, the threat in the border regions of the Sahel States with coastal States has also increased markedly” , includes the motion approved by the Bundestag, which adds that these crises weaken the possibilities of development in the region and “directly affect the foreign and security policy interests of Germany and Europe.”

With the new mission, the EU intensifies its commitment to the West African country, in the midst of tensions with the military junta in Mali, from where the international troops that helped Bamako to fight terrorism have withdrawn, according to reports the German news agency DPA.

EUMPM Niger has been commissioned to support the Niger Armed Forces in capacity building, with three projects at its core: the creation of a technical school, specialized complementary training of existing units and the development of a support battalion. commanding. In this way, participation in combat operations is expressly excluded.