Bundestag extends German peace missions
Parliament approves operations in the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and South Sudan.

Berlin (dpa) - Three-and-a-half weeks before the Bundestag elections, members of Germany’s national parliament voted to extend German military deployments to the Red Sea and South Sudan. All mandates were approved with clear majorities. The German Government approved the extensions to the mandates in early December to ensure that German forces can remain in place despite the early election. In Germany, parliament must approve any deployments of the armed forces outside their standard tasks.
Parliamentary approval ensures that the German navy can continue its operation within the EU’s Aspides mission in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping from the Huthi militia in Jemen. In the Mediterranean sea, German vessels remain involved in monitoring the Libyan coast as part of Med Irini, and in the NATO Sea Guardian mission to combat terrorism and arms smuggling. The deployment as part of the United Nations UNMISS peacekeeping mission in South Sudan was extended until 31 October.