Security measures were ramped up at Camp Castor for the arrival of two senior German officials. Svenja Schulze, minister for economic cooperation and development, and Boris Pistorius, the country's defense minister, were visiting the German base near Gao, Mali, to assess the situation there. Operations in the region are the German military's most dangerous.

Traveling together for the first time, they came with a joint message: Without security, development is not possible. And without development, security makes no sense.

The message comes at a peculiar time. Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, voted last year to end the mission in the Sahel. The German government, which has a legislative majority, approved the decision. As a result, Camp Castor is set to pack up and go home by May 2024.

Still, Mali remains the focal point of Islamist terror in the West African region. Local branches of Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State have spread. Their fighters inflict immense violence on the civilian population, who live in a climate of constant fear. The instability has led to tens of thousands of refugees, hunger and suffering in Mali and across the Sahel.

Within this powder keg, the German military, or Bundeswehr, has as many as 1,100 troops deployed as part of multinational missions. One of them, a United Nations peacekeeping operation known by its acronym, Minusma, is charged with protecting the civilian population, providing security and helping to stabilize the country. German officials, however, have concluded they are unable to fulfill these objectives.

"Conditions have caused this mission to fail," Pistorius said. "I very much regret that this mission is now coming to an end like this."

New partners, beyond the West

Mali's government originally welcomed Western forces, but that was 10 years ago. There have been two military coups since. The current ruler, 40-year-old Assimi Goita and his military junta, are relying on a new partner: Russia.

Goita has increasingly distanced himself from the West. Members of Russia's Wagner paramilitary group operate in the country, bringing more brutality and less security. The government in Bamako, Mali's capital, has repeatedly stonewalled German operations, prohibiting unmanned reconnaissance flights or troop patrols in some areas.

"Neither German policy nor the Bundeswehr, its servicemen and women, are at fault," Pistorius said.

Mali is among the world's poorest countries. Most of its approximately 23 million people live in rural areas and face a number of interlinked crises. On top of security woes, there are refugees, a worsening climate, increasing hunger and higher unemployment. Nearly nine million people depend on humanitarian aid.

Soldiers go, aid workers stay

The jihadists have an easy time recruiting young men as new fighters. Many in the population view the militant groups as the only ones offering a clear way forward. Western officials are working to counter this impression.

"We will continue to be on the ground here with development cooperation," Schulze said. "We can work even under difficult security conditions."

That means aid workers, such as those from Welthungerhilfe, will stay even if the troops leave. The German relief organization works in dangerous parts of Mali with a team of around 150 local and foreign workers.

"We have been working in Mali for more than 50 years," the group's CEO, Mathias Mogge, said. "Our work does not depend on the presence of German troops in a UN mission."

Security analysts consider the Sahel one of the most important regions for German — and more broadly, European — security. Islamist groups and migration have far-reaching repercussions. At the same time, the West does not want to hand the region to Russia and China, which are both keen to increase their influence.

As Mali's government has become less receptive to German and Western interests, Germany has sought a new partner to remain active in the region: Niger.

New anchor of stability

"If young people don't have jobs in our country, they will be taken in by the terrorists," Souley Salamata, the mayor of Kollo in Niger's Tillabéri region.

Salamata has come with other regional officials to Germany's air base near the capital, Niamey. They met with Schulze to give her a firsthand account of local needs, and in exchange, she discussed what Germany can do to meet them.

Niger shares many of Mali's problems, and Schulze likewise promised support for agriculture and education.

"Security means more than military security," Schulze said after the meeting. "We have to give people opportunities to deny terrorists a breeding ground for new recruits."

Jihadists from Mali are trying to extend their reach into Niger, which is what prompted the request from Niger's government for German support. Defense Minister Pistorius is looking to send soldiers to help develop the country's armed forces.

"It's really cooperation on an equal footing. They explicitly want us here," Pistorius said.

Unlike Mali. Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, is counting on Western help, not Russian. Niger had its first democratic transfer of power two years ago, but the situation is fragile. Tens of thousands of refugees from across the region have fled to Niger and the country is extremely poor.

Niger also has the fastest-growing population in the world. Fifty percent of people there are under 15. Half of them do not attend school. This has led to a vicious circle, as described by the regional leaders meeting with Schulze: young girls are being married off early because families can't support them.

Yet, as one municipal officer commented, citing a local proverb: "The feet will never go where the heart is not."

This article was originally published in German.

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