{{A European mission to rebuild Mali’s dishevelled army officially began Tuesday, less than three months after France launched a military offensive against armed rebels in the West African country.}}
Around 500 instructors and support staff from 22 EU states are expected to train Malian soldiers for the purpose of countering the types of extremists who quickly overran half of the expansive country last year.
Known as the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM), the group is tasked with restoring military capacity to four Malian army battalions. The operation’s initial mandate is set to last 15 months, with an estimated cost of 12.3 million euros. It will not be involved in combat operations.
“Everyone in the Malian army is aware of its weakness, the institution is ready to reform itself with the EU’s help,” said French Brigadier General François Lecointre, who heads EUTM. “There are big expectations, which Europeans must meet.”
France, Mali’s former colonial master, counts the highest number of soldiers within EUTM. The 200-troop strong French contingent includes 48 infantry instructors, 90 soldiers in charge of EUTM’s protection and other staff with logistical and medical duties. They arrived as French combat troops gradually started pulling out of the war-torn country this month.
British Secretary of Defence Philip Hammond said a 40-man training team from the UK was being sent as part of EUTM to assist Malians in restoring order and denying terrorists a safe haven in their country.
“The violent insurgency has not only disrupted their country, but also poses a clear threat to national interests here in the UK,” Hammond said in a statement.
The British training team was joined by six personnel from the Republic of Ireland’s Defence Force, in a military cooperation project a senior British officer called “a historic occasion”.
Officials highlighted the EUTM multinational character: Swedes and Lithuanians were among the instructors, Germans would assist as medical personnel, Belgians would pilot helicopters, while Spaniards and Czechs would help fulfil the security detail, they said.
france24
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