ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Germany has increased its 2016 defence budget to expand the scope of its military cooperation with Africa.
This was disclosed on Monday by the German Deputy Defence Minister, Dr Ralf Brauksiepe, while delivering a lecture at the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, titled: “German Military Cooperation with Africa”.
Brauksiepe said the development would help to ensure that his country enhances its military engagements in Africa as part of the global campaign to curb terrorism and piracy.
According to him, the German defence support in Africa cuts across different spheres including, education, training, troops deployment and provision of materials.
He said: “The German defence budget in 2016 has increased and this is to ensure that Germany invests more in defence than it used to do in the past decades.
“As a result of this there is going to be growing engagements of German defence forces in Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Liberia and other countries.
“This is in realisation of the fact Germany appreciates peace and abhors violent conflict that causes destruction and misery around the world, we as Germans have enjoyed the peace dividends since our unification hence our contribution to global peace.”
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Brauksiepe, however, made clarifications about Germany’s method of troops deployment for international missions, stressing that the country was yet to send troops to Nigeria to help fight Boko Haram.
He noted that his country has tremendous respect for Nigeria particularly in its efforts to contain terrorism within its territory and in the West African sub-region.
According to him, presently there is no international mandate for Nigeria from the German government and German troops do not go to places they are not invited.
“It has a broad scope, there are mandated missions that we are involved in, there is the possibility to give help to education and training, there is the area of material support,” he said.
The minister said that the scope of the defence cooperation with Nigeria, for instance, is to help build Nigeria’s capability to play a constructive role in the sub region’s security affairs.
He said that they deploy troops according to internationally mandated decisions by the United Nations, and as well as the decision of the German government and the approval of the German parliament.
“No Nigerian government representative has requested for assistance from German troops, we appreciate the efforts of the Nigerian government through its armed force in the war against terrorism.
“We appreciate Nigeria’s own efforts to solve the country’s security challenges, so there is no application or request for German troops to come to Nigeria,’’ he noted.
Speaking further, Brauksiepe hailed efforts behind the formation of the Multi National Joint Task Force to fight terrorism in troubled parts of the sub-region.
He assured that Germany would, in the coming months, improve on its support to fight crimes in Africa particularly the activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
Earlier, the NDC Commandant, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, commended the contributions of the German government in the development of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Alade cited the training of some senior military officers and logistic support as one of the hallmarks of the Nigeria-Germany military relations.
He said the visit of the German deputy Defence Minister would enhance existing military cooperation between both countries.