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The #G5Sahel summit had a revealing media echo in some major German news outlets that tell you quite a bit about the problems of #Germany's public discourse on the #Sahel and its #stabilization engagement in general. A thread. 1/14
First of all, there is little attention. Neither of the two major German public broadcasters ARD & ZDF mentioned the summit in their flagship programmes @tagesschau and @heutejournal.
(there was a good text by @dunjasadaqi on Tagesschau's website) 2/14 https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/afrika/sahelzone-einsatz-minusma-101.html
(there was a good text by @dunjasadaqi on Tagesschau's website) 2/14 https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/afrika/sahelzone-einsatz-minusma-101.html
The public radio station @DLF had a short news item. It noted French calls for "fairer burden-sharing" in the military mission and then noted: "Germany is also active there. But the Bundeswehr does not participate in military missions." 3/14
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gipfel-zur-sahel-zone-macron-hofft-auf-mehr-europaeische.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1228201
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gipfel-zur-sahel-zone-macron-hofft-auf-mehr-europaeische.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1228201
This is wrong, of course. #Mali is among the countries with the largest deployments of the @bundeswehrInfo, with more than a thousand troops, basically on par with Afghanistan. They just don't fight "terrorists" as the French do. 4/14 https://www.bundeswehr.de/resource/blob/5029786/2a346328ea6fbf9731e5cdc1c37b07f2/download-udoe-06-2021-data.pdf
The @faznet newspaper titled "French alone in anti-terror mission". Germany would not participate in the French-led #Takuba mission, it noted, and rather focus on civilian measures. 5/14 https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/sahel-gipfeltreffen-frankreich-allein-im-anti-terroreinsatz-17201144.html
In a similar vein, @SZ newspaper, using a piece by @dpa_intl, starts off with "Germany will still not participate in the combat mission against Islamist terrorists in the Sahel zone."
Only later, it notes that there was no French pressure to do so. 6/14 https://www.sueddeutsche.de/service/konferenzen-deutschland-will-keinen-bundeswehr-kampfeinsatz-in-sahelzone-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-210216-99-466800
Only later, it notes that there was no French pressure to do so. 6/14 https://www.sueddeutsche.de/service/konferenzen-deutschland-will-keinen-bundeswehr-kampfeinsatz-in-sahelzone-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-210216-99-466800
Why is that kind of reporting important?
It defines the problem ("Islamist terrorism") as one that needs to be tackled with military combat missions. It confirms a larger narrative of Germany shirking its military obligations (think of the defense budget saga). 7/14
It defines the problem ("Islamist terrorism") as one that needs to be tackled with military combat missions. It confirms a larger narrative of Germany shirking its military obligations (think of the defense budget saga). 7/14
It neglects the huge costs of the increased military offensives by France and its partner forces in terms of civilian casualties and conflict escalation. 8/14 https://acleddata.com/2020/05/20/state-atrocities-in-the-sahel-the-impetus-for-counter-insurgency-results-is-fueling-government-attacks-on-civilians/
The German government is partly to blame for the narrative of its own "deficiency". It supports the French counter-insurgency measures including Takuba "politically" but focuses more on security training, stabilization, and governance reforms itself. 9/14
https://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/212/1921213.pdf
https://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/212/1921213.pdf
This is hardly a coherent position. Yes, there are constitutional reasons why German cannot participate in a military mission outside a "collective security system" such as #Takuba, but they could perhaps be overcome. 10/14 https://peacelab.blog/2020/05/task-force-takuba-in-mali-verpasste-chance-fuer-die-europaeische-aussenpolitik
German officials are very cautious not to criticize the French approach and simply note that Germany's approach is different.
This neglects that the French have repeatedly undermined a stronger focus on civilian means and dialogue, eg at the summit in Pau in 2020. 11/14
This neglects that the French have repeatedly undermined a stronger focus on civilian means and dialogue, eg at the summit in Pau in 2020. 11/14
On substance, the #G5Sahel summit actually included many points important for the Germans, including a commitment to a "civilian surge", combating impunity in the security forces and strengthening accountability for civilian killings. 12/14 https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2021/02/16/communique-final-du-sommet-de-ndjamena
In other words, there were important diplomatic "wins" at the summit for an approach that emphasizes a more transformative and civilian approach, points that @GermanyDiplo could rightly see as achievements. 13/14
Instead, the dominant story in German media was of too little courage to do what is (supposedly) needed and what its closest partner expects from Germany.
A lot remains to be done to make #prevention, #stabilization and #peacebuilding a cornerstone of foreign policy.
14/14
A lot remains to be done to make #prevention, #stabilization and #peacebuilding a cornerstone of foreign policy.
14/14
