Mali-Operation: It Is About Natural Resources, Not Democracy
Tomorrow, the parliament will decide on the deployment of the German armed forces to Mali as part of the UN mandate MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali). To this, Christine Buchholz, member of the Executive Board of the party DIE LINKE, declares:
For half a year the federal armed forces have supported a French-lead military operation in Mali, which exacerbates the problems of the country. Since the stationing of foreign troops in Mali, the Malian government has declared state of emergency. It was extended into July to prevent political rallies. Obviously, the goal of the international military intervention is not the democratization of the country, but the stabilization of a government that allows western companies access to Mali's economy and natural resources.
The new UNO-label does not change the nature of the military operation. The federal armed forces have no place in a war over natural resources that leads to permanent occupation through the stationing of foreign troops in Mali. So far, the German troops have refueled French warplanes over 250 times. But the federal government refuses to disclose any information about the objectives and victims of the use of these aircrafts. It is pathetic for social democrats and Greens giving the federal government green light to a war in Mali, without being concerned about its consequences.