On Thursday 23 May, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, declared that the EU remained ready to accompany the people of the Sahel region towards peace, despite the difficult context. The European Union’s training mission with the Malian Armed Forces (‘EUTM Mali’), which began in February 2013 (see EUROPE 10748/22), came to an end on Saturday 18 May.
“The departure of EUTM Mali comes in the context of a series of coups d’état taking place successively in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This led to a rupture between these countries and ECOWAS, the West African regional organisation, and the departure of the French and American forces, as well as the end of EU military and civilian missions present in Niger”, explained Mr Borrell in a personal post on the blog of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
“The growing presence of Russian mercenaries to assist these military regimes has resulted in more instability, more exactions against civilians, more plundering of natural resources, accompanied by massive anti EU disinformation campaigns”, added Mr Borrell, describing these events as a “significant setback” for the EU’s foreign and security policy.
The EEAS announced in early May that the mission’s mandate would not be extended (see EUROPE 13407/22). The EU had already suspended some of the mission’s training courses since April 2022 because of abuses carried out by the Malian Armed Forces with the support of Wagner mercenaries. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)