The generation of forces for the European operation in Mali in progress

(BRUSSELS2) The force generation conference for the Malian army training operation (EUTM Mali) started on Tuesday afternoon (29 January) in one of the secure rooms of the European diplomatic service.

A good surprise

Compared to the situation that prevailed a few months ago, this is a time for optimism. Most Member States have thus prepared a contribution. B2 took a quick lap before the meeting. And almost all the countries have made a proposal, or even increased their proposal. Countries which had already announced a participation plan to announce a higher figure (Spain would propose up to 40 personnel, Poland up to 20 personnel, etc.). Other countries that were not particularly expected on this type of mission in Africa (Baltic countries, Czech Republic, etc.) are keen to participate. The Nordic countries made a joint offer and so on. Since the dispatch of observers to Georgia, there was rarely such a mass of proposals.

Arrive at having a homogeneous offer

The real difficulty for the head of mission will be to have contributions that correspond well to the needs of the mission and above all "to have homogeneous teams", as a European officer confided to B2. “We cannot have teams of trainers, or protection forces made up of too many nationalities”. On the French side, we expect from this conference, a commitment of some Member States not only as trainers but also as a protection force (Belgium or Spain could be candidates).

The mission logo

In the meantime, the mission has a logo (see opposite, in English please!). Largely inspired by the logo of the similar mission - the training of Somali soldiers in Uganda -, it has the advantage of presenting the map of the country as a watermark; important political message from Europeans who intend to preserve the integrity of Mali.