...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
came as a surprise to many who were unaware of the presence of German soldiers in the conflict-torn African country.
Besides Cameroon, Niger and Tunisia are two other African countries where Germany has military and police training missions not mandated by its parliament. Germany's defense ministry confirmed to DW that, according to the law, the government does not have to ask the Bundestag for approval to send military instructors to peaceful countries as long as the German military is not involved in any direct confrontation on the ground. Berlin also has no obligation to inform deputies about the particulars of these missions.