The member countries of the EU engaged in Mali will withdraw part of the personnel engaged in the military training mission after the cessation of its activities, announced Tuesday May 17 the head of European diplomacy, the Spaniard Josep Borrell.
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"
The mission remains in Mali, but it will be resized, because it does not need a thousand people if it no longer trains the Malian soldiers
", he explained after a meeting. meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.
“
Spain, which sent one of the largest contingents, is not going to leave but it will reduce its numbers.
Germany, for its part, will redeploy its soldiers to Niger
,” he explained.
Departures will be coordinated, he insisted.
“
We are not leaving, because to pack up you need a unanimous decision and it is very difficult to obtain.
The question of leaving did not even arise during the meeting
,” he said.
Denunciation of defense agreements
The European Union had decided in April to stop the training of units of the armed forces and the Malian national guard because of their collaboration with the mercenaries of the Russian group Wagner who came to Mali at the call of the junta.
The decision of the Malian leaders to leave the G5 Sahel and its anti-jihadist force "
adds
to it " after the denunciation of the defense agreements between Bamako and Paris, commented Josep Borrell.
The EU decided on Tuesday to freeze the supply of military equipment financed by the "
European Peace Facility
", he confirmed.
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The EU has committed several hundred soldiers and experts to two training missions in Mali, EUTM for the armed forces and EUCAP Sahel-Mali for the police.
EUCAP's mandate, approved in 2015, has been extended to January 31, 2023. EUTM's, in place since 2013, runs until May 18, 2024. Several EU countries are also taking part in the mission of the United Nations in Mali, the Minusma.
Germany has thus committed 1,100 soldiers to Minusma and 300 others to EU training missions.