German government to deploy troops to Niger as part of EU mission

The cabinet’s decision to deploy troops, part of a European Union operation to support Niger’s armed forces, will be voted on in April.

The German government on Wednesday cleared the way for its troops to participate in a European Union military mission in Niger, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters after the cabinet decision.

Germany plans to send up to 60 soldiers to Niger as part of an EU operation designed to support the Niamey government in building up its armed forces.

The final decision on Berlin’s participation lies with the German parliament, with a vote expected at the end of April.

The EU decided in December to launch a three-year military mission to Niger. Some 50 to 100 European troops in the beginning, and up to 300 at a later stage, will help the country improve its logistics and infrastructure.

Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, is seen as at risk of a possible spillover of violence from neighboring Mali, where armed groups are gaining ground following the withdrawal of French and other European troops.

The German army has been training Niger’s special forces with some 150 soldiers since 2018, but completed that mission at the end of 2022.

Some 1,100 German troops are still stationed in neighboring Mali, most of them near the northern city of Gao, where their main job is collecting reconnaissance for a UN peacekeeping mission.

This mission has been plagued by recurring disputes with Mali’s ruling military government and an increasing Russian military presence there, which has sparked unrest in the West.

Last November, Berlin decided to withdraw its troops from Mali by May 2024, following the lead of France and other European countries such as Britain.

Europe’s relations with Mali have deteriorated since a military coup in 2020 and the government’s invitation to fighters from the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-affiliated private military company, to support the fight against the insurgents.