Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht continued her trip to the Sahel in Niger. Coming from Mali, the SPD politician arrived at the air transport base operated by the Bundeswehr on the outskirts of the capital Niamey.

On the fringes of her Advent visit, Lambrecht also wanted to explore the conditions for Germany's further military engagement. Unlike in Mali, the course of previous projects was rated as promising.

The day before, the Operations Command had released the "Gazelle" training mission, which was mainly provided by the Navy's combat swimmers, from its task at the end of the year. A special forces school set up by the German soldiers, which trains people to fight terrorist groups and armed gangs, is now to be continued by other countries. The construction of a military hospital with German help is being planned.

The EU wants to give Niger more support in its fight against terrorists and thus stabilize the Sahel region. To this end, the EU foreign ministers decided on a military partnership mission in Brussels on Monday. They are intended to enable the Nigerien armed forces to better ward off threats and protect the population.

According to EU information, the operation, called EUMPM Niger, will help, among other things, to set up a training center and a new communications and command support battalion. It is initially designed for three years. The EU community costs are estimated at 27.3 million euros.