German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was
stranded in Mali on Friday due to technical problems with his plane, the
latest in a series of incidents that have struck the government's fleet.
Two German UN peacekeepers were killed on Wednesday when their helicopter crashed as they were monitoring clashes in northern Mali, German and UN officials said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday warned against Africa suffering from a "brain drain" as she arrived on a three-day tour of the continent focused on security and stemming the influx of asylum seekers to Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday left for Mali, the first stop on a three-day Africa tour focused on security and stemming the migrant influx to Europe.
Germany will send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, to provide some relief to France in its global fight against Isis jihadists.
Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen visited Mali on Tuesday on the day that the Bundeswehr (German army) takes over control of the EU-training mission in the troubled west African state.
Does Germany pull its weight in international affairs? The Local spoke with a military analyst to discuss what German soldiers are doing abroad and why the government is so reluctant to engage its troops in active combat.
France and Germany will send parts of a joint military brigade to Mali in its first military deployment to Africa, following a meeting between the two countries defence chiefs.
Ties between Germany and France became a little looser on Friday as Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out against the European Union giving money to fund France's military action in France.
German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere is due in Mali on Monday where he is to meet German soldiers deployed to support French and African troops fighting Islamist rebels.
Details have emerged of the involvement of German embassy staff in Mali in a secret operation to smuggle hundreds of thousands of centuries-old manuscripts out of Timbuktu, saving them from destruction by Islamist fighters.
The German government said on Tuesday it had approved sending up to 330 soldiers to help train the Malian army and support the French deployment in its battle against Islamists.
Germany is considering expanding its support of France’s military campaign against Islamists in Mail to include airborne refueling of jets carrying out airstrikes.
German security officials are concerned the country's support for France's fight against Islamists in Mali has increased the risk of terrorist attack, according to a newspaper report.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out sending combat troops to fight Islamist rebels in Mali alongside France, but warned the northern African nation should not be allowed to become a failed state.
Germany's foreign minister called on Friday for political efforts to be stepped up to resolve the conflict in Mali between government forces and Islamists.
A 77-year-old German tourist has been released by terrorists in Mali after spending almost three months as their captive, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday evening.
