The Bundeswehr is participating for another year in the NATO mission “Sea Guardian” to monitor the Mediterranean and in the Blue Helmet mission in South Sudan. The Bundestag voted with a large majority in favor of extending both mandates.
The “Sea Guardian” surveillance mission with ships and boats is intended to contribute to the fight against terrorism and arms smuggling. The SPD MP Frank Schwabe objected to the assessment that the operation was unnecessary. “Sea Guardian” only creates situation reports and has a primarily preventive effect, but it is an important “early warning system”. As with the mandate extension last year, the upper limit is 550 soldiers.
In South Sudan, up to 50 German forces can continue to support the peace process as UN peacekeepers and ensure the protection of civilians. Although the civil war in the East African country was formally ended by a peace agreement in 2018, various armed groups continue to fight for influence. With around 13,000 blue helmet soldiers from 73 countries, “Unmiss” is currently the United Nations’ largest peacekeeping mission in the world.
