16/07/2024 (Agence Europe) – The Council of the European Union has decided to withdraw the assistance measure for the armed forces of Niger, initially worth €25 million, adopted on 18 July 2022 (see EUROPE 12995/27), according to a legal act published on Tuesday 16 July. On 23 April, the Political and Security Committee recommended this withdrawal to the Council. The measure was provisionally suspended on 26 July 2023, “given that, following the coup d’état in Niger (on the same day), the situation no longer allowed the assistance measure to be implemented with sufficient guarantees”. The assistance measure, initially for 36 months, was intended to strengthen the capabilities and resilience of the Nigerien armed forces, in particular by financing the creation of a training centre for technicians and the construction of a forward operating base in the Tillabéri region. (CG)