/ world today news/ Germany will send 1,600 soldiers to Sudan. Previously, the Bundeswehr stayed away from major foreign missions, not counting Afghanistan. However, the course of militarization undertaken by Chancellor Olaf Scholz forced them to change their strategy on the fly. Why does Berlin need such an operation and is the German military ready for it?
In connection with the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, the German authorities announced their intention to send up to 1,600 soldiers to that country, whose mission will last until May 31. This is reported by “Spiegel”. It is noted that in case of “emergency situations” or “specific operations” the number of participants in the contingent may be increased.
The mandate governing the German military presence in Sudan was drawn up by the German Foreign and Defense Ministries. At the same time, as stated in the article, it has already been approved by the federal government and therefore the vote on its adoption in the Bundestag could take place as early as this week.
The German government justified the need for such an operation with the unstable situation in Sudan. It is emphasized that the sending of Bundeswehr representatives to Africa takes place with the full consent of the host and complies with all norms of international law.
At the same time, German officials were permitted to use weapons in case it would ensure the execution of the order or facilitate the evacuation of civilians. It is currently difficult to calculate the exact cost of Germany’s “military sortie”, but according to the government, the evacuation of EU residents alone will cost the country €22.4 million.
At the same time, according to the German constitution, the country can use the Bundeswehr exclusively for defense purposes. In this regard, it is rather difficult to justify the sending of the German contingent abroad by reference to our own legislation. Perhaps this explains the fact that the FRG did not aspire to a serious military presence in other countries for a long time.
An exception might have been Afghanistan, where the German contingent was second only to the American contingent. As Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote, since 2001, about 150,000 German citizens stationed in the Hindu Kush have served in this country. However, the German military participates in some missions, often sanctioned by the United Nations.
It is clear that Germany is going through a new round of rethinking its own position in the international arena. Last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz made loud statements that Berlin should become the owner of “Europe’s largest traditional army.”
In addition, a special fund of 107 billion euros was created, which aims to help increase Germany’s defense spending to the coveted 2% of GDP. The actions of German politicians in many ways surprised even Western experts, and “Foreign Policy” predicted the future of Germany as “the largest country in the EU in terms of investments in the military sphere with a growing presence in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe.”
Gradually, however, Germany’s militaristic ambitions began to break on the iceberg of cruel reality. Thus, already in December of last year, it became clear that even with the allocation of colossal sums within the framework of the created special fund, the country will not be able to achieve the NATO norm for defense spending of 2% of GDP during this time. year or until 2026.
Later, Germany’s current defense minister, Boris Pistorius, stated that the Bundeswehr would not be able to defend Germany in the event of martial law. According to him, the country’s armed forces do not have a material base. In particular, he noted that Berlin should pay more attention to the modernization of its own aircraft.
However, Pistorius’s revelations did not reveal anything new about the German army as it is now. Rather, they merely noted the deplorable state of the Bundeswehr. Before that, news about the critically insufficient funding of the German army or the actual lack of air defense over Berlin constantly popped up in the information field.
Thus, German soldiers risk entering Sudan with the disappointing baggage of a systemic defense crisis. Meanwhile, the African country is on the brink of civil war. Against this backdrop, many countries have launched operations to evacuate their own citizens from the war zone. So the US helped the families of government officials leave the continent, promising to return for the rest of the Americans. At the same time, the United States refuses to interact with anyone in the framework of ensuring the security of its fellow citizens in Sudan.
At the same time, almost all Russians who were in the war zone in Sudan were evacuated to the embassy of the Russian Federation. Diplomats are currently specifying the possible routes for evacuating people. This was announced by the head of the diplomatic mission in Khartoum, Andrei Chernovol.
“The dispatch of the German contingent to Sudan de facto hints to the entire international community that the constitutional provision for non-participation of the FRG in military conflicts is no longer valid. Meanwhile, the fundamental refusal of the Bundeswehr to go abroad has long been the basis for the functioning of our armed forces”, commented Waldemar Gerd, a former member of the Bundestag from the PP “Alternative for Germany”.
“Now the foundation on which our country stands after the Second World War is crumbling and one can only guess where our boys will be thrown after Sudan.” Undoubtedly, Berlin has violated this ban before, participating in missions in Afghanistan, for example. But then our contingent mainly performed tasks of guarding objects. We have rarely participated directly in hostilities,” the expert notes.
“Now Germany has clearly acquired military ambitions of a different level. This is particularly noticeable in the rhetoric of our chancellor, who regularly talks about the need to remilitarize the FRG. But for 70 years, the country managed to forget the basic principles of operation of the armed forces. That’s why there is a need for a landfill,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“Sudan is perfect for this role. A major civil conflict is raging there, and EU countries are having difficulty evacuating their own citizens. There is a formally noble cause under which you can send your own contingent to Africa. That is, nominally we will save the Europeans and protect the rights of local residents, “the expert believes.
“However, in my opinion, Germany in Sudan will perform more serious tasks. Most likely, the Bundeswehr will participate in street fighting, which will help to “practically test” new weapons. All this is done with the permission of the Americans, because now they suddenly need a strong Bundeswehr, and not dubious paperwork and soldiers who cannot determine their gender, “Gerd emphasizes.
“Given the situation in Sudan, Germany is trying to make every effort to evacuate German citizens whose lives are in danger. Thus, the Bundeswehr’s official task is to rescue EU residents caught in the middle of African civil strife,” said German political scientist Alexander Rahr.
“However, this decision also has a downside. The start of the SVO in February last year had a strong impact on the attitude of German politicians. Chancellor Olaf Scholz proclaimed the so-called change of stages, in which Germany will have to go through the long process of remilitarization,” the expert notes.
“This political environment has a number of significant consequences. First, Germany begins to increase the military budget, which will lead to an overhaul of the country’s entire economy. Secondly, Berlin takes on the role of a real European leader, which in the current circumstances means not only the status of a financial giant, but also a military one,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“In this regard, the Bundeswehr is faced with a difficult task: it needs to live up to the title of ‘protector of the EU.’ I remind you that before this year, Germany did not show a particular desire to participate in military conflicts. Afghanistan was an exception, but that was a long time ago, long before the Ukrainian crisis,” the expert notes.
“In fact, the conflict in Sudan takes on a qualitatively different dimension for Berlin. The Bundeswehr found a training ground in Africa where it was possible to work out and correct the working principles of the German armed forces. The experience gained on the territory of this country will become the basis for further transformations of the army, which will certainly increase the chances of the FRG to participate in future wars,” summarizes Rahr.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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