The European Union will reduce the contingent of its EUTM Mali military mission «in a gradual and orderly manner» by the end of the year after approving a new plan to adapt the operation to the new circumstances in the country.
The strategic review was formally approved by the EU-27 on October 17 at a meeting of the Political and Security Committee and the new plan a day later. This decision will lead to «a gradual and orderly reduction» of the mission in Mali before the end of the year, an EU spokesman confirmed to Europa Press.
In any case, the mission maintains intact its mandate and its duration until 2024. However, the training of the Malian army has been suspended since April due to continuous disagreements with the military junta in Bamako. The spokesman confirmed that the mission will now focus on military advice and education, while training activities will be resumed only if so decided by the member states.
This confirms the scenario of reducing the mission as much as possible and limiting it to advisory matters, with the understanding that a minimal presence for mentoring purposes would preserve the mission and leave the door open to a redoubling of the presence if the conditions are met later in Mali.
The training was halted in April after insufficient assurances were received from Bamako that the trained soldiers would not be under the command of Russian paramilitaries of the Wagner Group, which operates in the country with the approval of the military junta.
Now the EU is taking the next step with the reduction of troops, which once totaled 900 European troops, with Spain as the largest contingent with more than 500 soldiers.
