Relationship dossier
Germany
Mali
Relationship assessment
Development and peacekeeping cooperation strained by Mali’s political transition and MINUSMA’s withdrawal
Germany toward Mali
+15Germany provided development cooperation to Mali and contributed troops to MINUSMA. Following Mali’s 2021 coup, Germany restricted some forms of cooperation with the transitional authorities and later completed its military withdrawal as MINUSMA ended.
Mali toward Germany
0Mali hosted German troops serving under MINUSMA, reflecting the transitional authorities’ earlier consent to the UN mission. In 2023, Mali’s demand that MINUSMA withdraw ended the framework for Germany’s military presence.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship has been shaped by German development assistance and security cooperation through MINUSMA, counterbalanced by disagreements following Mali’s 2021 coup and the end of the UN mission. The resulting structure is mixed, with earlier practical cooperation and a marked recent downturn.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Germany supported Mali through development cooperation and a military contribution to the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA. Relations became more difficult after Mali’s 2021 coup and the transitional authorities’ demand that MINUSMA withdraw; Germany completed its troop withdrawal in 2023. The relationship thus includes substantial cooperation as well as a significant recent deterioration.
Areas of tension
- Germany’s restrictions on some cooperation with Mali’s transitional authorities after the 2021 coup
- Mali’s 2023 demand for MINUSMA’s withdrawal, which ended Germany’s military presence
Key developments
Germany contributed troops to MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
Following Mali’s 2021 coup, Germany restricted some forms of cooperation with the transitional authorities.
After Mali demanded MINUSMA’s withdrawal, Germany completed its troop withdrawal from the mission.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of German development cooperation with Mali after the 2021 coup are unclear.
- The extent of direct bilateral cooperation beyond development assistance and MINUSMA is unclear.