On Monday 11 December, the EU Council adopted a decision launching the EU security and defence initiative in support of West African countries of the Gulf of Guinea for an initial period of two years. It also approved the operation and mission plans for the civil and military pillars of the initiative.
On 3 August, the Council adopted a decision establishing the initiative in Ghana and Benin, and extended it to Côte d’Ivoire and Togo on 25 September (see EUROPE 13258/13).
This initiative will help these countries to “tackle instability and insecurity challenges” by strengthening the capacity of their security and defence forces to contain and respond to the pressure exerted by armed terrorist groups in their northern regions, according to the Council. It will also promote the rule of law and good governance in the security sectors, and build trust between civil society and the security and defence forces.
“Following an innovative, flexible and modular set up”, the initiative will combine military and civilian expertise in the field of security and defence with the provision of short-term training teams or visiting experts, complementing the assistance measures of the European Peace Facility, the Council stated. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)