Germany resists Malian junta demand for immediate exit of troops

BERLIN, June 18 (Reuters) – Germany said on Sunday a request by Mali’s military junta for the United Nations peacekeeping force to leave the country “without delay” is politically motivated and Berlin still aims for an orderly withdrawal of its troops by May 2024. Mali’s interim military authorities made the request on Friday, citing a “crisis of confidence” between Malian authorities and the decade-long U.N. mission known as MINUSMA, which has struggled to protect civilians and its own troops. The unexpected demand sparked immediate fears of further chaos in Mali, which voted on Sunday in a referendum on changing the…