On Friday 15 October the Council of the European Union adopted the decision establishing the EU military mission EUTM Mozambique, whose mission, for at least two years, will be to train Mozambican soldiers who will be part of a rapid reaction force responsible for guaranteeing security in the Cabo Delgado province (see EUROPE 12760/26).
The mission, which will be operational when the Portuguese Armed Forces Training project handover is completed, is expected to reach full capacity in December, with 140 troops in two training centres, one for commandos and the other for the navy.
Covered by the European Peace Facility, a financial instrument outside the EU budget 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12683/30), the costs of the EUTM Mozambique mission are estimated at more than €15 million over two years, according to a Council statement. Additional aid from the Facility has been mobilised to provide non-lethal equipment.
Portuguese Brigadier General Nuno Lemos Pires will lead the mission on the ground.
More information on the EUTM Mozambique mission: https://bit.ly/2YOMVle (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)