The main problem posed to the EU is the presence of mercenaries of the Wagner group, come to Mali to the appeal of the junta in power, and the collaboration of units of the Malian army formed by the EU. their activities.
Le Monde and AFP
The European Union (EU) decided on Monday, April 11, to “stop” its military training and training missions in Mali, but will remain in the Sahel and will unfold in neighboring countries, has announced the top EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell.
“The events force us to this decision. We did not get [of the junta] the requested guarantees. But we do not give up the Sahel,” said Borrell, at the end of a Meeting with the foreign ministers of the twenty-seven in Luxembourg. “We will continue the training on the laws of the war because the military must know that the war has laws and rules of the game,” he added.
Germany plans to withdraw its soldiers present in Mali as part of the United Nations EU Training Mission and the United Nations Multidimensional Mission for Stabilization in Mali (MINUSMA). The German Foreign Minister Annalyna Baerbock, has planned to meet the leader of the Malian junta when traveling this week to Mali. She wants to “get a precise idea of the political and security situation” before deciding on the maintenance of the Bundeswehr, explained a spokesman for the department.
Two coups since August 2020
Some three hundred German soldiers participate in the European Union’s training mission in Mali (EUTM) and 1,100 soldiers at UNMISMA, which has 14,000 soldiers and police officers.
“The question is how MINUSMA will be able to continue working. If it is to stay (…) in barracks, it is not necessary to stay,” said Borrell.
The military took power in Mali during two coups in August 2020 and in May 2021. The main problem posed to the EU is the presence of Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group, from Mali to the ‘appeal of the junta, and the collaboration of units of the Malian army formed by the EU to their activities.
Europeans demand an independent investigation into the events that occurred in Moura, in the center of the country, between March 27 and March 31. The army says “neutralized” 203 jihadists during a major operation. But testimonials report on mass execution of civilians by Malian soldiers and “foreign fighters”.
The region of Moura is one of the main homes of the Sahelian violence. The United Nations has announced that they have opened an investigation.
The EU has hires several hundred military and experts in two training missions in Mali, the EUTM for the armed forces and the EUCAP Sahel-Mali for the police. The mandate of EUCAP, approved in 2015, was extended until 31 January 2023. The mandate of EUTM, since 2013, runs until May 18, 2024.