German lawmakers have given the green light for the country's troops to remain in Mali until May 31, 2024, at the latest. The opposition called for a troop withdrawal by the end of this year.
EDnews informs via DW that Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, on Friday voted to extend the country's military deployment with the UN's peacekeeping mission in Mali for another year.
The new and final mandate is to end on May 31 next year. Around 1,400 German troops are part of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali(MINUSMA).
The mandate was approved by 375 votes to 263, with one abstention. All the opposition parties voted against the motion. The main conservative opposition bloc CDU/CSU had called for troops to be pulled out by the end of this year.
German military missions overseas require a mandate from parliament, which is typically granted on an annual basis.
