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The EU decided not to have its military training missions in Mali for the time being. This would mean that it will no longer train armed forces and national guards in the West African country. However, the EU’s presence will be there in the Sahel region
The EU decided not to have its military training missions in Mali for the time being. This would mean that it will no longer train armed forces and national guards in the West African country. However, the EU’s presence will be there in the Sahel region, according to the EU’s top diplomat.
This was revealed by the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recently after chairing a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers. The minister cited recent developments in the Sahelian country to explain the reason behind the decision. Borrell said that the Wagner group was responsible for some very serious crimes, which led to tens of people being killed in Mali in recent times. Wagner is a private Russian mercenary group, reportedly close to President Putin. It was reported recently that Malian soldiers and Wagner hired soldiers who killed over 200 civilians in an operation last month in the Malian village of Moura.
The EU diplomat asserted that the bloc could not collaborate with reprehensible regimes and people perpetrate such crimes against humanity. The EU countries claim that the Russian Wagner group is operating in Mali as an armed force. Both Mali and Russia have denied that.
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The training provided by the EU is part of efforts aimed at strengthening Mali’s troops to fight against the Jihadist insurgency. The European Union, since 2013 hired hundreds of instructors and experts who were involved in two training missions. In the meantime, Josep Borell said the Sahel region remained a priority for the E.U. without giving many details about its course of action in the coming days. France had withdrawn its troops from Mali late last year, after a breakdown in relations with the country’s military junta. Western bloc is also charry about Mali going close to Russia and China in recent years.
