Germany’s parliament paved the way for German troops to take part in a European Union training mission in Niger amid the risk of violence spreading from neighboring Mali, according to a statement published on the website of the Bundestag.
A total of 531 German lawmakers, mostly from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, voted in favor of the mission, and 102 lawmakers voted against it. Five lawmakers abstained.
Germany's possible participation in the mission became public during the visit of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Development Minister Svenja Schulze to Niger's capital Niamey on 12 April.
Before the trip, Pistorius said that the security of the Sahel region is "of particular interest to Germany".
He also emphasized that Germany remained committed to helping the region despite the planned Bundeswehr withdrawal from Mali, which is to be completed by May 2024.
However, he admitted that German military assistance is moving its location.
"The focus of our future military engagement in the Sahel will be in Niger," he said.
Niger is seen as at risk of a possible infection of violence from neighboring Mali, where armed groups have been gaining ground after the withdrawal of French and other European forces.
Last November, Berlin decided to pull its troops out of Mali by May 2024, in the wake of the same decision by France and other European nations, such as Britain.